Management of post-operative anaemia in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer: a qualitative focus group-based study

Background: Optimal management of anaemia following surgery for colorectal cancer remains unclear. Peri-operative anaemia is common in patients undergoing resectional surgery for colorectal cancer. A significant amount of research has been conducted into the management of pre-operative anaemia; however, little work has investigated post-operative anaemia. We intended to investigate the facilitators of and barriers against the standardised correction of post-operative anaemia. These can aid in identifying optimum treatment for patients following surgery for colorectal cancer.

Methods: Four focus groups were held with 29 participants from a multidisciplinary panel of healthcare professionals from two different NHS hospital sites in the UK. The discussions were audio recorded and underwent professional transcription. Transcripts were checked against recordings before undergoing thematic analysis using a realist approach.

Results: Four themes were identified. The key barriers to standardised post-operative anaemia correction were a lack of protocoled guidelines or a defined pathway, insufficient education and training, and systemic barriers, such as financial drivers and drug availability. The key facilitator identified was collaboration and communication.

Discussion: This study has identified several key barriers and thresholds which can be used in future studies to improve the standardised management of post-operative anaemia.