Understanding the routes to diagnosis for colorectal cancer in New Zealand: a protocol paper
Intended for healthcare professionals
Evidence and practice    

Understanding the routes to diagnosis for colorectal cancer in New Zealand: a protocol paper

Melissa Warren PhD student, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Karla Gough Associate professor, Department of Cancer Experiences Research, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, Melbourne, Australia
Jon Emery Herman professor of primary care cancer research, Department of General Practice, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Mei Krishnasamy Professor, Department of Nursing, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia

Why you should read this article:
  • To understand why colorectal cancer is a major public health concern in New Zealand

  • To familiarise yourself with routes of referral for colorectal cancer

  • To improve your knowledge of why some patients may be slow to access treatment for colorectal cancer

Approximately one third of New Zealanders who are diagnosed with colorectal cancer present as an emergency. This is a major public health concern because people diagnosed with cancer as an emergency typically have suboptimal clinical outcomes compared with those diagnosed through screening or an alternate non-emergency route.

This protocol paper describes the design of a research study that aims to understand the routes to diagnosis for colorectal cancer, the factors that lead to emergency presentation of colorectal cancer, and its delayed presentation in primary and secondary care. Raising nurses’ awareness of the various diagnostic routes for colorectal cancer and the potential negative effect on health outcomes, will assist them to provide effective patient education, such as the importance of acting on ‘red flag’ cancer symptoms. It will also inform nurses of the effective triaging of cancer patients in acute settings.

Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2021.e1765

Peer review

This article has been subject to external double-blind peer review and checked for plagiarism using automated software

Correspondence

mwarren2@student.unimelb.edu.au

Conflict of interest

None declared

Warren M, Gough K, Emery J et al (2021) Understanding the routes to diagnosis for colorectal cancer in New Zealand: a protocol paper. Cancer Nursing Practice. doi: 10.7748/cnp.2021.e1765

Published online: 27 April 2021

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