Information Needs Around Parenteral nUTrition in Cancer

Parenteral nutrition (PN) is a type of nutritional liquid that is given directly into a vein, and is usually given when a person does not have a working gut. This type of nutrition is managed by a team of healthcare professionals and requires regular monitoring, such as bloods tests, to allow the team to provide the right balance of nutrients to the individual patient. This is an important decision, and the benefits, risks and consequences of having this type of nutrition should be fully explained to the patient and carer, to make sure they can make an informed decision. The aim of this study is to find out what information both patients and carers feel they need to be able to make a decision to start, and a later date stop, parenteral nutrition, with a diagnosis of advanced (incurable) cancer.

It is not clear if patients and carers get all the information they need before making this decision, and often the decision is made by a doctor and other healthcare professionals. However, patients and carers have a right to make decisions about their care. We will therefore interview patients and carers who have experience of making this decision, or in the process of making this decision, to find out what information is important to them. Our aim is to use the results from this research to improve the experience that patients and carers have in the future.

Inclusion criteria

• Adults aged 18 years and over
• Fluent English speaker
• Is aware of diagnosis of advanced cancer
• Patient considering starting PN, is currently receiving PN or has previously received PN OR
• Carer of a patient considering, receiving or who has received PN
• NHS patient
• Assessed as having capacity to give consent and participate
• Current patient at one of the recruiting hospital sites

Exclusion criteria

• Private patients