Patient's perspective following management of pleural infection at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

<bold>Introduction:</bold> Pleural infection is associated with significant healthcare burden. The average hospital stay is 14 days. Current standard of care is chest tube placement and antibiotics with intrapleural enyme therapy (IET), or surgery deployed on treatment failure. The RAPID score is validated in risk stratification, but its ability to alter treatment remains unproven. No high quality studies exist that assess the patient experience of pleural infection and recovery. The purpose of this study is to explore patients' experiences of pleural infection management in a tertiary centre. <bold>Methods:</bold> 15 patients with lived experiences of pleural infection underwent semi-structured interviews between December 2022 and April 2023. <bold>Results:</bold> 15 patients were interviewed (9 female, 6 male) with an average hospital stay of 13 days. Mean age was 63 years. All patients were admitted to hospital and received standard care with chest drain and antibiotics. A further 10 (67%) received IET and 5 (33%) required surgery. (14, 93%) of patients felt their preferences were taken into account when choosing which intervention to undergo after standard care. 47% of patients experienced adverse effects related to chest drainage (pain, breathlessness and impact on quality of life) and 20% experienced significant employment and income impacts after discharge. 47% felt positive towards RAPID directed therapy following discussion. <bold>Conclusion:</bold> The current stepwise approach in pleural infection can result in prolonged admission and significant adverse events. Patients are keen for a more targeted, personalised approach to treatment. We propose using a RAPID driven treatment model to address this.