Information booklets for patients with major bowel resection

This article highlights the importance of providing information that meets the needs of surgical patients. Focus group interviews were used to ask patients who had undergone major bowel surgery what information they felt was required to help prepare someone for this experience. A group of patients who had recently had bowel surgery were interviewed by two facilitators. This technique allowed the participants to identify and verify the issues of concern and to originate new ideas through group discussion. The participants identified many issues that would not have been considered by the authors, issues that were used to form the content of three information booklets for patients having bowel surgery.