BJR
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
First published online September 29, 2008
British Journal of Radiology (2009) 82, 13-19
© 2009 British Institute of Radiology
doi: 10.1259/bjr/61732956
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Services
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow reprints & permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by VON WAGNER, C
Right arrow Articles by WARDLE, J
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by VON WAGNER, C
Right arrow Articles by WARDLE, J
British Journal of Radiology 82 (2009),13-19 ©2009 The British Institute of Radiology

Patient experiences of colonoscopy, barium enema and CT colonography: a qualitative study

C VON WAGNER, BSc, PhD 1 K KNIGHT, PhD 1 S HALLIGAN, MD, FRCP, FRCR 2 W ATKIN, MPH, PhD 3 R LILFORD, PhD, FRCOG, FRCP, FFPH 4 D MORTON, FRCS 5 and J WARDLE, BA, MPhil, PhD 1

1 Cancer Research UK Health Behavior Unit, UCL, 2 Department of Specialist Radiology, University College Hospital, 3 Cancer Research UK, Colorectal Cancer Unit, St. Marks Hospital, London, and Departments of 4 Epidemiology and 5 Surgery, Birmingham University, Birmingham, UK

Correspondence: Professor Steve Halligan, Department of Specialist Radiology, Podium Level 2, University College Hospital, 235 Euston Road, London NW1 2BU. E-mail: s.halligan{at}ucl.ac.uk

Previous studies of patient experience with bowel screening tests, in particular CT colonography (CTC), have superimposed global rating scales and not explored individual experience in detail. To redress this, we performed qualitative interviews in order to characterize patient expectations and experiences in depth. Following ethical permission, 16 patients undergoing CTC, 18 undergoing colonoscopy and 15 undergoing barium enema agreed to a semi-structured interview by a health psychologist. Interviews were recorded, responses transcribed and themes extracted with the aim of assimilating individual experiences to facilitate subsequent development and interpretation of quantitative surveys of overall satisfaction with each diagnostic test. Transcript analysis identified three principal themes: physical sensations, social interactions and information provision. Physical sensations differed for each test but were surprisingly well tolerated overall. Social interactions with staff were perceived as very important in colouring the whole experience, particularly in controlling the feelings of embarrassment, which was critical for all procedures. Information provision was also an important determinant of experience. Verbal feedback was most common during colonoscopy and invariably reassuring. However, patients undergoing CTC received little visual or verbal feedback and were often confused regarding the test outcome. Barium enema had no specific advantage over other tests. Qualitative interviews provided important perspectives on patient experience. Our data demonstrated that models describing the quality of medical encounters are applicable to single diagnostic episodes. Staff interactions and information provision were particularly important. We found advantages specific to both CTC and colonoscopy but none for barium enema. CTC could benefit greatly from improved information provision following examination.




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Am. J. Roentgenol.Home page
S. Mahgerefteh, S. Fraifeld, A. Blachar, and J. Sosna
CT Colonography With Decreased Purgation: Balancing Preparation, Performance, and Patient Acceptance
Am. J. Roentgenol., December 1, 2009; 193(6): 1531 - 1539.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
BJR DMFR IMAGING  ALL BIR JOURNALS 
Copyright © 2009 by the British Institute of Radiology.