People & Families
People living with long-term conditions were the foundations for Bridges coming into existence and continue to tell us the impact of Bridges on their lives, in many different ways.
When Bridges is weaved throughout clinical interactions, we know that patients feel more in control, develop greater self-efficacy and are more able to build and utilise support networks outside of healthcare to manage the twists and turns of their long-term conditions.
One way we know this is through our large-scale evaluations. Our most recent large-scale clinical trial is the NIHR-funded LISTEN trial. By building practitioners’ knowledge, skills and confidence to work in this way, the trial found that the Bridges approach was effective in improving quality of life for people living with long Covid, specifically:
- Activities of daily living: Intervention participants were more able to engage in activities of daily living that mattered to them.
- Emotional wellbeing: Intervention participants reported improvements in their emotional wellbeing.
- Fatigue: Intervention participants reported that fatigue had less impact on their daily lives.
- Mental health: Intervention participants reported better mental health related quality of life.
- Feelings of symptom control: Intervention participants reported greater feelings of symptom control (measured as a scale of self-efficacy).
Find out more about our other research projects here.
I am a whole person, and if I work with someone as a patient and therapist relationship, or doctor or nurse, who is ‘Bridgey’, they will want to know, they will want to understand. The power dynamic would be very different. I would feel empowered that I can try things my way. I will feel that I will stop lying to all of them, because heads, up patients, we lie. ‘Have you done this exercise’ – ‘Yes I have 3 time a day, I promise’. If I don’t like it, if it’s not motivating, I’m not going to do that.Evi, Major Trauma Survivor
Mum commented that it was the only appointment where she had felt listened to, and nice to know she wasn’t just going mad.Paediatric Speech and Language Therapist
I thought right I’m going to pull some of these phrases. I just asked him what he thinks is working? And I’ve never heard him talk so much -he also had quite a lot of ideas about what he thought would help him as well. And I mean I’ve known him for probably 15 – 20 years this guy. And I don’t think I’ve ever heard him talk so much, and actually be on pointLearning Disability SLT
After implementing Bridges practices, the patient feedback has been excellent. Some comments use the words ‘I felt safe’, ‘life affirming’, ‘game changer’.Long Covid Service Lead
The way Bridges approach supports not only patients to get involved but also their relatives, being able to talk to them and provide some information about what this [self-management support] means, then the relatives can also follow this up after they have left our care on the ward. Overall, I feel that the course has given me confidence to give patients confidence in their ability to own their rehab journey.Physiotherapy Tech