Experiences of peer support for colorectal cancer patients
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Evaluating the experiences of peer support volunteers within the colorectal cancer service.
IRAS ID
158716
Contact name
Amy Twigger
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
As more people are surviving colorectal cancer, support for psychological well-being following treatment is increasingly important. Peer support encourages peers with similar experiences to share those experiences with another patient and offer a supportive perspective that healthcare professionals may not be able to give. This project will evaluate a pilot peer support scheme for colorectal cancer patients whereby patients who had completed a course of treatment provided support via telephone to patients experiencing similar treatment for colorectal cancer.
This qualitative study will use the principles of phenomenology (the study of lived experiences) to explore the opinions of both supporters and recipients involved in a peer support scheme that ran in a city hospital in England over a period of three months (October 2014-January 2015). It is anticipated that at least 5 supporters and 5 recipients will be recruited providing 10 interviews for analysis. Semi-structured, face to face interviews will take place within the hospital setting and are anticipated to last no more than 60 minutes. An interview schedule has been developed on the basis of previous literature. Questions will cover patients’ experiences of the scheme, focusing on the nature of their interactions (e.g. what they talked about, how the supporter responded to the patient’s concerns, how the relationship changed over time) and the personal impact of receiving support (e.g. positive and negative outcomes, whether their expectations of the intervention had been met).
The themes deduced from the transcripts will be explored in depth to establish the impact of the telephone peer support intervention on colorectal cancer survivors. It is hoped that information sourced from the evaluation will highlight the issues that continue to be faced by oncology patients, guiding future research and lines of enquiry that ultimately aim to improve oncology care throughout the UK.
REC name
London - Brighton & Sussex Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/LO/0415
Date of REC Opinion
19 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion