Patients are positive about colon cancer care at CWZ

8 minutes ago
general

Nijmegen – When patients hear they have colon cancer, they have a lot to think about: What is the prognosis and what will the treatment process look like? The GIO Clinic of the CWZ in Nijmegen can guide them through this difficult time.

Van der Borght, expert: “It was mainly clear communication that reassured me during that period. When specialist nurse Linda Geerts noticed I needed to be connected, she invited me to come in for a chat or an additional examination. She and the entire team at GIO Clinic helped me and my family deal with the diagnosis and everything that came my way. I thought this experience was very special.

Personalized and well coordinated

Van der Borght's experience is not an isolated one. Patient research conducted in 2023 shows that patients trust the colon cancer care they receive at CWZ. What patients especially appreciate is the personal guidance and quick response times. The period between examination and diagnosis is short, although it is an exciting time for patients who experience a lot of uncertainty. Most people are also satisfied with the time between diagnosis and treatment. They also find communications with nurses very valuable.

Some reactions: “They are all very interested.” I never felt like a number. Van der Borght adds: “It has now been a year and a half since the operation and I still have good support from Linda. I stay in the picture and can always contact her. Linda: “We are there to remove fears. This is the most important thing to me, and this is what I do everything for.”

The right care in the right place

CWZ Colon Cancer Center offers patients a full range of treatments. Healthcare providers from various specialties involved in the care process are the gastroenterologist, specialist nurse, surgeon, and oncologist. They look at and decide with each patient what is the right care for that person in the right setting.

In the study, patients indicate that they consider this cooperation very good and positive. Van der Burgt: “I was surprised when I was diagnosed with colon cancer. A 100,000 things went through my mind. After the colonoscopy, it was clear that the tumor was at an early stage and could be treated easily. The next day I had an appointment with Linda. She told me what could Expect him in the following weeks: first a CT scan, a treatment plan within a week, and then a robotic operation within three weeks.

Watch at home via the app

Van der Borght continues: “I was allowed to go home one day after the operation. This was possible because I was monitored via the CWZ Thuis app during the first two weeks after the operation. You have entered values ​​related to, for example, heart rate, temperature, nutrition, pain, and stool. The GIO department maintained this information. I found this very easy, as it saved me from having to drive back and forth to the hospital.

The CWZ Thuis app “After bowel surgery” was developed by healthcare providers from the Colon Cancer Center in collaboration with digital partner Luscii. Caregivers can digitally monitor a patient's recovery and health at home during the first few weeks after colon (cancer) surgery.

Continue to improve towards the future

Being diagnosed with colon cancer is not easy. According to some patients, the way health care providers deliver this news may be more subtle or softer. Because the way a doctor delivers the message has a huge impact on how patients begin the treatment process.

There is also still room for improvement on practical issues. For example, patients notice that information is missing when they interact with departments outside the colon cancer care process. Coordination when the patient receives the information could be better. Patients also enjoy receiving practical advice for home use.

CWZ Colon Cancer Center takes all these valuable responses from patients into consideration to further improve care. So that it better meets the desires and needs of colon cancer patients in the future.