The use of a visualisation intervention to improve recovery behaviours following colorectal and gynaecological oncology surgery

Interventions: The current study includes 3 conditions, two of which are intervention arms: the visualisation intervention and a verbal information only group (active control). The final group is a standard care group. The intervention group will receive an animated intervention depicting the purpose of the recovery behaviours of early re-mobilisation and the early re-introduction of food and drink following surgery. These animations will be displayed on an iPad and shown to patients at their bedside at day 1 following their surgery and takes approximately 10 minutes to deliver.. The intervention will be administered by the student researcher (Annie Jones, PhD student in Health Psychology). The intervention will provide information about how these two behaviours (which are part of the standard Enhanced Recovery After Surgery programme which all patients undergo) will help the patient to recover faster from their surgery. There are two versions of the intervention where either a male or female actor patient is used. The version of the intervention the patient sees will be their gender match. The intervention will begin by highlighting common beliefs that patients have about recovering from a surgical procedure, such as ideas around bed rest being the fastest way to heal. These ideas will be challenged by providing information about the ERAS programme including evidence from previous clinical trials. The intervention then explains the recovery behaviour of early mobilisation. The presentation incorporates real life footage of an ‘actor’ with animations depicting the internal bodily processes occurring while either resting, or when mobile. The animations show the heart, the lungs, and bodily circulation. The second part of the intervention shows the importance of the early re-introduction of food and drink following surgery. An animation explaining the digestive system is used here. The intervention also outlines to patients their daily goals for each of the behaviours. These are pre-existing goals that are given to all patients in their information booklet. Finally, the intervention ends with an elaborative reasoning task, which tries to get the patient to contextualise their ideas about exercising with their own life. The patient is asked to discuss two questions: In what ways could you incorporate exercise into something specific that you might do on the ward while in hospital?” and In what specific ways can you try and incorporate daily exercise into your routine once you are discharged and back home?”.