Telephone follow-up after treatment for endometrial cancer: A qualitative study of patients' and clinical nurse specialists' experiences in the ENDCAT trial

Abstract

Purpose: Endometrial cancer is the sixth most common female cancer worldwide. There is little evidence that routine hospital surveillance increases survival or decreases morbidity following treatment. Gynaecology Oncology clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) are ideally placed to provide the care, information and support to enable women with a gynaecological cancer to self-manage and live well. A multi-centre randomised controlled trial (RCT) compared hospital follow-up (HFU) with telephone follow-up (TFU) by CNSs. The structured telephone intervention focused on information provision to meet patients psychosocial and information needs. This study aimed to explore the views of women who had received TFU and the CNS's who had delivered the service.
Method: A qualitative study to complement the RCT using semi-structured interviews was conducted. Twentyfive patients were randomly selected from participants in the TFU arm stratified by study site. Seven CNSs were interviewed.
Results: Patient and CNS regarded TFU positively; Three themes emerged from the patient interviews; Convenient Care, Discrete Personalised Care, Confidence and Reassurance. Themes arising from the CNS interviews were Patient Centred Care, Holistic Care and, Confidence and Skills. Patients found that TFU with CNS's was convenient and enabled discussion of issues and information provision at time-points relevant to them. The CNS's found the structured format of TFU enabled them to utilise their skills and knowledge to identify and meet patients holistic needs.
Conclusions: Alternative models of care such as TFU provided by CNSs provides the care, information and support to enable women treated for endometrial cancer to self-manage and live well.