Preoperative Group Consultation Prior to Surgery for Colorectal Cancer—an Explorative Study of a New Patient Education Method

ABSTRACT: Patients with colorectal cancer may lack information about the disease and treatment. In 2017, a group consultation before start of surgery was introduced at a university hospital in western Sweden to inform about the disease, treatment, and ongoing scientific studies. The primary aim of this study was to explore the experience of the patients attending the group consultation. Based on semi-structured interviews with patients with colorectal cancer, a questionnaire was constructed and administered to patients, both those attending and those not attending the group consultation. In total, 124 patients were included and the response rate was 86%. A majority of patients attending the group consultation would recommend it to someone else with the same illness. Of the patients attending the group consultation, 81% (30/37) patients agreed, fully or partially, that attending the group consultation had increased their sense of control and 89% (33/37) that the information they received at the group consultation increased their feeling of participation in the treatment. Preoperative group consultation is a feasible modality for informing and discussing the upcoming treatment for colorectal cancer with the patients, and the patients who attended the group setting appreciated it. Attending the group consultation increased the patients’ feeling of active participation in their treatment and their sense of control, which could possibly both improve their experience of their illness and facilitate recovery. CLINICALTRIALS.GOV IDENTIFIER: NCT03888313