Abstract Introduction: Pelvic radiotherapy can be an important management option for people diagnosed with colorectal or anal cancer, who often experience a wide range of adverse effects that can be detrimental to Quality-of-Life (QoL) due to the radiotherapy. Clinical nurse specialists (CNS) are valuable multi-disciplinary members who provide a range of practical and holistic support to these patients, via on-treatment review appointments. A lack of evidence exists relating to colorectal and anal cancer patients’ perceptions of on-treatment CNS review appointments. Methods: A service evaluation of the nurse-led on-treatment appointments using a questionnaire was undertaken. Yes/No, Likert Scale and free-text questions were asked, allowing for quantitative and qualitative data collection. Ethical approval was obtained. Standard quantitative data analysis and thematic analysis (TA) methods were used. Results: Twelve 12 colorectal and anal cancer patients participated. The data showed that patients had positive experiences with their appointments, but had fears regarding the unknown and the future. Conclusion: Patients were satisfied with the on-treatment review service, and the results suggest that the service is efficient and effective. Future research should evaluate this type of colorectal CNS service across a larger colorectal and anal cancer patient population.
Bowen et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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