Focus of doctor-patient communication in follow-up consultations for patients treated surgically for colorectal cancer

A series of consultations between patients treated surgically for colorectal cancer and their hospital consultants were examined to establish the main focus of the consultation at various stages in the post-surgical period. The results showed that follow-up consultations were predominantly doctor driven. Patients interviewed less than 12 months since the time of surgery (short-term group) were more likely to receive a longer consultation with a significantly higher number of verbal interactions (questions, responses) than patients more than 12 months since surgery at the time of interview (long-term group). Furthermore, patients in the short-term group played a greater participatory role within consultations than patients in the long-term group. The predominant focus throughout all consultations was biomedical, with little attention afforded to patients' expressions of post-operative anxiety. At present, it appears that out-patient consultations play a minimal role in either detecting or addressing psychosocial morbidity amongst colorectal cancer patients in the post-surgical period.