Evaluation of a colorectal cancer clinic: Patients’ perceptions of social support

Background: Prior research indicates that patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) who receive social support experience reduced levels of anxiety and depression as well as an improvement in overall health and quality of life following surgical intervention. There is limited research on how patients with CRC receive specific types of support. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to explore the types of support patients with CRC receive both at home and from the clinic.Methods: In 2022, 14 patients with CRC participated in 30-minute semi-structured interviews. Patients were asked about their perceptions of home support and clinic support. The interviews were recorded, and transcripts were cleaned and qualitatively coded using ATLAS.ti software.Results: At home, participants identified life logistics and emotional help as the most important forms of support. In the clinic, participants identified effective communication as the most important support.Conclusions: Patients reported having enough support at home and in the colorectal cancer clinic and identified several specific types of social support that they thought were valuable. Additional research should focus on understanding the needs of patients with CRC by considering the types of social support identified here in order to inform how clinics can best support them.