PhD Studentship: Patient Preferences for Cancer Follow-up: Influence of Site, Personal Characteristics and Place of Residence

College of Life Sciences & Medicine Graduate School

University of Aberdeen

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The project will explore the perceptions of patients as to how their cancer may be best followed up, the effect of cancer site and personal characteristics on these perceptions, and what trade-offs patients are prepared to accept for the most efficient model of follow-up possible.

Research Question 1: What do patients with different types of cancer perceive as the main attributes of their follow-up?

Research Question 2: To what extent do personal characteristics and cancer site affect people’s view of the optimal cancer follow-up programme for them?

Research Question 3: What trade-offs would people with cancer make to receive the optimal model of follow-up, and what influence would personal characteristics and cancer site have upon this?

The project will employ three key stages. Firstly, the student will undertake a systematic review of follow-up systems for cancer. Secondly, semi-structured qualitative interviews will be conducted with patients with different types of cancer. Thirdly, a discrete choice questionnaire will be developed and sent to a large sample of patients in Scotland currently receiving traditionally structured hospital follow-up care following treatment for different types of cancer.

This project will provide important objective data about the models of cancer follow-up most preferred by people with different types of cancer. It will also provide information of the effect of personal characteristics and cancer type on patient preferences. The data will also provide information on the trade-offs that people are prepared to make to receive the most practicable model of follow-up care. This information will inform the development of cancer follow-up systems in Scotland, as the NHS meets the challenges afforded by increasing long-term cancer survival.