RURALLY
Research type
Research Study
Full title
RURALLY: Recognition, Understanding of, and Responses to bowel symptoms Among people Living in rural Localities of Yorkshire
IRAS ID
263978
Contact name
Christina Dobson
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Newcastle University
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 5 months, 31 days
Research summary
Research Summary:
People living in rural areas face poorer survival for certain cancers, including colorectal cancer, than people living in urban areas. To date, we do not know why this is the case. It is possible that delays in diagnosis are causing poorer survival among rural patients, but there is evidence to suggest that rural patients are diagnosed just as quickly as urban patients, after they are referred into secondary care. Therefore, this study examines the symptom experiences and help-seeking decisions of people experiencing bowel cancer symptoms in rural Yorkshire, to try to identify and understand barriers to early presentation among this group.
Patients aged 40 and over, from four GP practices across North Yorkshire, will be invited to take part in a survey and semi-structured interview about their experiences of bowel symptoms. The findings will be fed back to local communities at 'village hall' community events. This will also be an opportunity for ongoing PPI to generate ideas in collaboration with participants and the local community for future intervention research to seek to address barriers to help-seeking and encourage early presentation for symptoms of bowel cancer amongst rural populations.Summary of Results:
We found that people in rural areas face specific barriers to consulting a GP about bowel symptoms. People living in rural areas tended to be very self-reliant and stoic about their health. Time was also a barrier to consulting a GP and this related mainly to work. People may face long travel times to their GP surgery which can either mean a loss of income for those who are self-employed, or may simply be unfeasible for those who work in a larger town or city and commute daily. Time was also a barrier to consulting for farmers, for whom it was very difficult to take time away from the farm during demanding seasons (i.e. harvest or lambing) to consult about symptoms. These barriers to consulting were reported across participants but what was interesting was the relationship between the GP and the patient could either help someone overcome them, or heighten them. Good relationships between GPs and patients meant people were happy to consult about symptoms, but when people felt their GP didn’t know them, and that they didn’t know their GP, they were often reluctant to go about new symptoms, or re-consult about symptoms that hadn’t improved.REC name
Wales REC 1
REC reference
19/WA/0198
Date of REC Opinion
23 Jul 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion