[Information to patients following surgery for cancer]

Patients who are operated upon for cancer tumour are anxious about the postoperative information and the result of the surgical procedure. This investigation was undertaken to study the routines for postoperative information in a department of surgical oncology. Thirty two patients operated for abdominal cancer ("cancer patients") and 36 patients operated for inguinal hernia or gallstone disease ("hernia patients") answered a questionnaire with 16 questions. Sixty nine percent replied. The need for postoperative information about the result of the operation was higher for the cancer patients than for the hernia patients. The cancer patients were given more attention by the doctors postoperatively and were given more opportunities to ask about the operation than the hernia patients. However, there was lack of privacy in the information situation and both groups were informed on the ward in presence of other patients.