Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
This study, like that of Knowles, Tierney, Jodrell and Cull (1999),
has demonstrated that clear communication of appropriate
information and explanation is important throughout the care
pathway for bowel cancer patients and that individual information
needs change as they progress through their cancer journey. This is
not surprising because, as has been shown, the participants’
condition changes as they recover from surgery; information
provision should, therefore, be a dynamic process over the entire
illness trajectory, spanning across the primary-secondary interface
(Knowles et al, 1999). However, this was not achieved for all
participants and shortcomings were exposed.
‘No, they were saying all along that it would be 8 days before the
histology results came through. Then that slipped a bit and they
were saying that they had, I think they call them a multidisciplinary
meetings on a Thursday so they were then saying that they hoped
that they would get the result by Thursday which would have been
the 25th of November. Well the 25th of November came and went
and nothing was said as to whether they had the results then or
not. My definitive knowledge to date is that I have had a section of
bowel removed. They (clinicians) certainly inferred that is what it
was but I don’t think anybody has ever used the word ‘cancer’ or
anything, no. I am putting 2 and 2 together after receiving the
letter from the oncologist’ (18).
Two participants suffered from severe swelling of their lower body
as a complication of their epidural anaesthesia; this was not
addressed and no subsequent management was explained to them
and they returned home without adequate information and high
levels of uncertainty, making the transition stressful.
‘Well I got more trouble from my knees and my legs through the
water, through the epidural thing. That worried me and upset me
more than anything, because while I was still in bed, I lost the use
of my right leg and I had no control at all, and I couldn’t stand on it
or do anything. They took out the epidural and it was an
improvement for a day or so, but I thought that it ought to have
cleared quicker. According to the leaflets they gave me saying, this
will clear almost immediately. But it did not. My legs, feet and toes
were completely blown up. I couldn’t get my shoes on and it was
very, very painful and I didn’t have a lot of control and that worried
me more than the operation. I had to keep my feet up all the time
and they were very bad indeed and painful. And was it a problem
getting stuff on? I came home in my pyjamas, dressing gown and
slippers. I couldn’t get my shoes on. My feet were swollen so much.
It was quite frightening the swelling. It caused me more trouble
than the operation’ (10).
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