Patient experiences of Psychological Prehabilitation
Research type
Research Study
Full title
How do people in Cancer Prehabilitation experience psychological readiness for treatment?
IRAS ID
334950
Contact name
Michael Baliousis
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 1 days
Research summary
Research Summary
Cancer prehabilitation refers to an intervention that takes place after an individual has been diagnosed with cancer and before they start cancer treatment. This interventin can include physical, psychological and nutritional components. However, no research is currently available that considers what patients want and need from psychological prehabilitation.
This study aims to explore patients’ meanings, emotions and expectations about psychological readiness for treatment through their surgical treatment.
Participants will be recruited from the Nottingham Prehabilitation service.
A longitudinal qualitative methodology will be employed in this study, approximately 10 semi-structured interviews will be carried out altogether, with cancer patients who have completed Cancer Prehabilitation. Each participant will complete two interviews, one before and one after Prehabilitation. Participants will be given the choice of having an online interview or a face-to-face interview. Participants who choose face-to-face will be able to choose between the hospital or tThe aim of the study was to explore patients’ understanding of their psychological readiness for surgery, and how prehabilitation may influence this.
Results were generated through analysis of interview data collected from participants before and after prehabilitation and surgery. Through this, one overarching theme was generated, "The mindset to have surgery: components of psychological readiness", which outlined three components of psychological readiness that were interpreted from the data: motivation, confidence and contained anxiety. This overarching theme and three components were threaded throughout the furhter three main themes that were identified.
1. Reliable and complete information- participants required reliable and complete information in order to contain their anxiety and give them confidence regarding what to expect. Prehabilitation was seen as a way of accessing reliable and complete information, over and above the internet which was interpreted as means that increased anxiety for participants.
2. Supported by and Supporting Each Other- participants sought out support from various sources e.g. family, professionals, peers; this support enabled them to contain anxiety, build confidence and give them motivation to engage with treatment to get better. This theme also reflected on how some participants felt their psychological readiness was on hold until they had told their loved ones, and desired to support them. Prehabilitation was seen as an opportunity to seek support; further developments of prehabilitation included involving loved ones and supporting conversations.
3. Patients as Active Agents in their Treatment- This theme considered how participants drew on personal resources that they had (e.g. religion, personal characteristics, life experiences) and how prehabilitation enabled them to build on this. Being involved in their care was interpreted to enable participants to build their confidence and contain anxiety.
These findings largely aligned with the supportive care needs of people living with cancer identified in previous literature, however offered novel insight into how prehabilitation can be better developed to meet these needs. The journal paper offers an adapted model incorporating the generated findings.
REC name
East Midlands - Nottingham 1 Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/EM/0129
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jul 2024
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion