Bowel Cancer Awareness Month

Please tell us about yourself and your role and why you choose to work in bowel cancer?

My name is Laura Duffy and I am one of three BowelScreen Clinical Nurse Specialists working alongside Aisling Carolan and Yasmine Ryan in St. James’s Hospital. Having spent many years providing care to surgical patients with colorectal disease, I moved to work with Bowelscreen earlier this year. This allows me the opportunity to engage with a new patient cohort who through participation in Bowelscreen process are proactive in preventing disease and maintaining their health.

What are some of the challenges you face in this role?

Knowing that there have been delays to waiting lists and that many people through the COVID years have avoided attending Doctors and hospital appointments or have had appointments postponed. It is challenging at times to work through waiting lists in order that patients are seen in a timely manner.

When invited to attend for colonoscopy many patients are worried about the procedure or fearful of a cancer diagnosis this can make the decision to attend more difficult. As BowelScreen nurses our role is to encourage and support patients through the decision making process providing reassurance information and education so that they feel prepared, well informed and less anxious when they come for their colonoscopy test.

What are some of the successes you’ve seen in this role?

It is reassuring to see so many people showing interest in their health and accessing this vital health check It is rewarding to see patients make the decision to attend for their colonoscopy and be part of that process.

As a nurse it is satisfying when patients feel empowered to follow the steps needs to achieve an excellent bowel preparation and have a successful endoscopy procedure. Running extra lists to reduce waiting times has been well received and a positive experience for patients and staff.

What is the best advice you can give people for Bowel Cancer Awareness month?

I would say to people to sign up for BowelScreen program. It is free of charge and starts with a simple test that can be carried out at home. If this test indicates that the client would benefit from colonoscopy this will be arranged at a specialist centre with expert care provided by the multidisciplinary team through all steps of the journey. Knowing that almost half (45%) of colonoscopies detect and remove polyps or pre-cancerous ademonas means that by taking part in this screening program a cancer diagnosis can be avoided and therefore can make a real difference to your health and your life.