An Online Preoperative Screening Tool to Optimize Care for Patients Undergoing Cancer Surgery: A Mixed-Method Study Protocol

Petridis, AP; Koh, C; Solomon, M; Karunaratne, S; Alexander, K; Hirst, N; Pillinger, N; Denehy, L; Riedel, B; Gillis, C; Carey, S; McBride, K; White, K; Dhillon, H; Campbell, P; Reeves, J; Biswas, RK; Steffens, D

Author(s): Petridis, AP; Koh, C; Solomon, M; Karunaratne, S; Alexander, K; Hirst, N; Pillinger, N; Denehy, L; Riedel, B; Gillis, C; Carey, S; McBride, K; White, K; Dhillon, H; Campbell, P; Reeves, J; Biswas, RK; Steffens, D;
Details: Publication Year 2025-03-03,Volume 17,Issue #5,Page 861
Journal Title: Cancers
Publication Type: Protocol
Abstract: BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: Despite surgery being the primary curative treatment for cancer, patients with compromised preoperative physical, nutritional, and psychological status are often at a higher risk for complications. While various screening tools exist to assess physical, nutritional, and psychological status, there is currently no standardised self-reporting tool, or established cut-off points for comprehensive risk assessment. This study aims to develop, validate, and implement an online self-reporting preoperative screening tool that identifies modifiable risk factors in cancer surgery patients. METHODS: This mixed-methods study consists of three distinct stages: (1) Development-(i) a scoping review to identify available physical, nutritional, and psychological screening tools; (ii) a Delphi study to gain consensus on the use of available screening tools; and (iii) a development of the online screening tool to determine patients at high risk of postoperative complications. (2) Testing-a prospective cohort study determining the correlation between at-risk patients and postoperative complications. (3) Implementation-the formulation of an implementation policy document considering feasibility. CONCLUSIONS: The timely identification of high-risk patients, based on their preoperative physical, nutritional, and psychological statuses, would enable referral to targeted interventions. The implementation of a preoperative online screening tool would streamline this identification process while minimising unwarranted variation in preoperative treatment optimisation. This systematic approach would not only support high-risk patients but also allow for more efficient provision of surgery to low-risk patients through effective risk stratification.
Publisher: MDPI
Keywords: gastrointestinal cancer; nutritional; physical; psychological; screening tool; surgery
Department(s): Anaesthetics; Health Services Research
Publisher's Version: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17050861
Open Access at Publisher's Site: https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers17050861
Terms of Use/Rights Notice: Refer to copyright notice on published article.

Creation Date: 2025-04-08 07:34:56

Last Modified: 2025-04-08 07:35:28