Assessing Patient Perspectives in Seeking Radical Cystectomy Care: A Qualitative Analysis

To assess the perspectives of patients after radical cystectomy (RC) to identify potential targets for future improvement. Relatively little is known about why patients choose to receive RC in a particular setting, where they seek information regarding their care, and what information they find difficult to identify or tasks they find most burdensome in the process of seeking out RC care.

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted by a single investigator (APM) with adults who underwent RC at our center between March 2020 and July 2021. Interviews were conducted from December 2021 and May 2022 using a semi-structured interview guide to assess patient experience with RC as well as features associated with decision-making regarding their care. Responses were coded based on content to identify themes and subthemes.

A total of 12 patients were interviewed, of whom 2 (17%) were female and 10 (83%) were Caucasian. Four major themes emerged: challenges in managing logistics of seeking a specialized major surgery, understanding of treatment options and expectations, the physical and emotional toll of diagnosis and surgery, and quality of communication with healthcare providers as a proxy for quality of care.

Bladder cancer patients cited the content and quality of communication with their healthcare team and logistics of traveling to a treating center as key considerations in determining where to undergo RC. Future interventions aimed at improving access to RC should focus on decreasing communication barriers and alleviating the burden of frequent travel.