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The Cost of Survival: Understanding Colorectal Cancer Survivors’ Quality of Life

This study aims to explore colorectal cancer survivors’ quality of life up to five years after diagnosis. The key objectives of this study are to explore the long-term physical and psychosocial side-effects of colorectal cancer treatments and examine how they influence survivors’ quality of life. Secondary objectives plan to identify support services used by survivors to address long-term side-effects and examine survivors’ unmet needs. Development and implementation of a pilot colorectal cancer survivorship care-plan is a key objective of this study.
This study will use a mixed methods sequential explanatory design. An integrated sampling method will be used for Phase 1 and Phase 2 of this study. Quantitative Phase 1 data will be collected from self-completed postal surveys from a sample of colorectal cancer survivors’ attending surgical follow-up services in four hospitals over a six month period. Qualitative Phase 2 interview data will be collected from a purposive subsample of Phase 1 respondents experiencing sub-optimal quality of life, long-term physical side-effects or psychological issues. The findings drawn from analysis of Phase 1 and Phase 2 will be used to develop a colorectal cancer survivorship care-plan for use in an Irish healthcare setting. The implementation of this care-plan will be piloted with a small sample of colorectal cancer survivors in attending surgical follow-up services in one hospital.
Quantitative data will be statistically analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Qualitative data will be analysed through thematic analysis, guided by Braun and Clarke’s Analytical Framework (2006) to identify themes and categories from the interviews.
This study will provide a reliable estimate of long-term physical and psychosocial side-effects and unmet information need within this population, exploring the impact of these side-effects on survivors’ quality of life. The development and implementation of colorectal cancer survivorship care-plans will be a prioritised outcome of this study.