Exploring Patient Experience and Recommendations for Follow-up After Kidney Cancer Surgery

What is it about?

The study aimed to explore patient experiences of follow-up care after kidney cancer surgery and develop recommendations for best practice. Focus groups were conducted with 14 participants who had experience of kidney cancer follow-up after surgery. Six themes were identified: feelings of abandonment, uncertainty about the plan, anxiety about appointments, variation in care, a need for information, and a need for emotional support. Many participants felt that their physical needs had been met, but they struggled with unmet emotional needs and a lack of information and resources, particularly in the period immediately following surgery and around follow-up scans and routine appointments. The researchers developed a list of recommendations to address some of the challenges described through relatively minor changes to the care pathway.

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Why is it important?

The research is important because it aims to explore patient experience of follow-up care after kidney cancer surgery and to develop recommendations for best practice. This study helps to identify gaps and variability in current follow-up care and provides recommendations to address some of the challenges described through relatively minor changes to the care pathway. Key Takeaways: 1. Kidney cancer patients often struggle with unmet emotional needs and a lack of information and resources, especially in the period immediately following surgery and around follow-up scans and routine appointments. 2. The study identified six themes that described current patient experiences, including feelings of abandonment, uncertainty about the plan, anxiety about appointments, variation in care, a need for information, and a need for emotional support. 3. The research team developed a list of recommendations based on the results to address some of the challenges described through relatively minor changes to the care pathway.