Colorectal Cancer Shared Care

Colorectal cancer is the second-most common cancer in Australia. The good news is that the age-standardised mortality rate almost halved between 1982 and 2011. This means that more people are surviving bowel cancer and requiring follow-up services, placing a greater demand on hospitals and specialist care. Research so far shows that surveillance in primary care can be just as good as in secondary care facilities; however there is often a lack of communication and coordination between the different health professionals sharing the care of patients following surgery for colorectal cancer. Furthermore, patients from minority backgrounds appear to have poorer health outcomes following colorectal cancer, and they may face additional barriers to receiving quality care.

This project will help us better understand the experiences of patient following their colorectal cancer surgery. In particular, we would like to explore their perception on how their care was shared amongst various health professionals in the community setting. Southwest Sydney is one of the most culturally diverse regions in Australia. We will use a narrative approach to interview patients who speak English, Spanish and Vietnamese to hear their stories and develop insights into how to improve their quality of care and health outcomes.

We are currently recruiting patients to be interviewed for this project between December 2014 to September 30th, 2015. We would be extremely grateful if you are able to help us publicise this study in your general practice or community centre. Please click on the following links to download publicity flyers and participant information sheets you can print and display in your waiting room. 

Colorectal shared care flyer in English (PDF, 444.86 KB) (opens in a new window), Spanish (PDF, 146.41 KB) (opens in a new window) and Vietnamese (PDF, 404.68 KB) (opens in a new window).

Colorectal shared care participant information sheet in English (PDF, 105.67 KB) (opens in a new window), Spanish (PDF, 86.84 KB) (opens in a new window) and Vietnamese (PDF, 132.78 KB) (opens in a new window).

Participants will receive a small gift card in recognition of their time. This project has been approved by the Western Sydney University Human Research and Ethics Committee, Approval Number H9067. Do contact us for more information about this project on GPdept@westernsydney.edu.au or (02) 4620 3933. We will be able to explain this project further to enquirers in any of the above languages.