title: Individualised follow-up booklets improve recall and satisfaction for cancer patients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The New Zealand Provisional Standards of Service Provision for Cancer recommend providing patients with written information about their diagnosis, treatment and follow up. This project aimed to develop and evaluate a resource that could be used to provide essential information to patients who were nearing completion of the surgical treatment of their cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study compared patients with melanoma, colorectal and breast cancers who received standard discussion of their diagnosis, treatment and follow-up plan with cancer patients who received a discussion supported by an individualised follow-up booklet. Patients were interviewed using an over-the-phone questionnaire to assess their free recall and prompted recall of follow-up items, their perception of the level of information received and satisfaction with the communication of their follow-up plan.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The group who received a booklet as part of discussion of their follow-up plan scored significantly higher on measures of free recall, prompted recall, satisfaction with the level of information provided and overall satisfaction than those who had a standard clinic discussion but did not receive a booklet. Free recall of two relevant items improved from 61% of patients to 91%. Prompted recall of at least one item improved from 77% of patients to 100%. The proportion of patients feeling they did not receive enough information fell from 25% to 5%. The proportion of patients scoring their satisfaction at >8/10 increased from 68% to 87%. All of these measures reached significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individualised cancer follow-up booklets are a simple, low-cost and low-risk initiative that used in a New Zealand setting, was associated with improved patient recall and satisfaction with the follow-up information they received. This supports the benefit of providing participants with personalised written information, as recommended in the New Zealand Provisional Standards of Service Provision for Cancer.
authors.affiliation: School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland.
authors.forename: Hoani
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: MacFater
authors.affiliation: Whanganui District Health Board, Whanganui.
authors.forename: Wiremu
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: MacFater
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Middlemore Hospital, University of Auckland, Auckland.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Whanganui Hospital, Whanganui.
authors.forename: Marianne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lill
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008545:Melanoma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery; D011939:Mental Recall; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D009520:New Zealand; D010174:Pamphlets; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery