Everyday challenges following hospital discharge. A multi-method study identifying and describing areas of concern for patients during the first month after colorectal cancer surgery.
Jenny Jakobsson, Christine Kumlien
PMID 36373481WHAT IT FOUND
Seven patients after colorectal cancer surgery described pain, difficulty dressing and doing housework, poor appetite, and worries about bowel function.
These first-month themes can guide nurse-led discharge education.
Key findings
01Pain was generally low in the first week and decreased over the month, but drains or stitches caused higher pain for some participants.
02Participants described early difficulty with dressing and later difficulty with housework or longer walks, while toilet urgency, pain and tiredness limited social life.
03Most participants had poor or in-between appetite, and worries about bowel function were prominent; talking to a specialist nurse or doctor gave relief.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
Only seven of the 13 patients who agreed completed the diary and interview, so the findings rest on a small sample. Ward nurses helped identify patients, which may have limited how many patients were approached. The diary topics came from previous research, so other concerns may have been missed. The semi-structured diary and interview format may have limited what participants could express. Participants had to be able to keep a diary and take part in an interview, so more distressed or impaired patients may be missing. The study was done in a specialist ERAS unit, so transferability to other settings is limited.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest. No funding source is stated in the supplied text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as evidence that nurse-led discharge education improves recovery. The study described seven patients' experiences and did not test an intervention.