Patient experience of the acute post-surgical period following total laryngectomy during the COVID-19 era.
Laura-Jayne Watson, David Hamilton, Joanne M Patterson
PMID 35403774WHAT IT FOUND
Ten people after total laryngectomy reported little difference between surgery before and during COVID-19.
They said preoperative talk focused on surgery, not life after discharge, and valued staff who treated them as people while learning to speak and care for a stoma.
Key findings
01Little difference was reported between participants who had surgery before and during COVID-19.
02Participants mainly recalled preoperative information as spoken surgical details, and written information was often unread or too complex.
03Communication was described as the hardest adjustment, followed by stoma management, while relationships with staff, other patients and family were important.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
Ten participants were included, and one approached participant did not respond. The study was from a single centre, so service differences in other locations may matter. It was exploratory, and the authors state that results cannot be generalized widely. Participants were selected purposively, not randomly. Some participants had received clinical intervention from the lead researcher. Partner or friend responses were not analysed. The final two participants were within the first two weeks of discharge and may not have completed all cancer treatment. Little difference was found between before and during COVID-19 experiences, and limited weight was given to this comparison. The study reports experiences, not measured clinical outcomes or quality of life.
Declared interests
No funding or conflict-of-interest declaration is given in the supplied text. The article is listed as research support non-U.S. government, but no sponsor role is stated. The lead researcher had provided clinical intervention to some participants.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that early discharge, ERAS changes or specific communication methods caused better recovery. Ten people from one centre reported experiences, and the study measured no clinical outcomes.