Media

Ordinary people’s experiences of bowel cancer screening available online

13 July 2007

Those considering being screened for bowel cancer can go online to listen to, or read about, ordinary people’s experiences of the process.

DIPEx (www.dipex.org), the award-winning website about people’s personal experiences of health and illness based on Oxford University research, has launched a new section on screening for bowel cancer at www.dipex.org/screeningforbowelcancer.

Visitors to the website can see and hear 44 ordinary men and women from different parts of the county talking about their experiences of screening. Some had received normal results after their tests, while others had received abnormal results, and some found they had bowel polyps or bowel cancer. A few people decided not to take part in screening, and explain why.

Bowel cancer affects over 35,000 people in the UK each year. Many cases are diagnosed too late, but if diagnosed early it is highly treatable. Screening for bowel cancer is the first UK mass screening programme which uses a self-sampling kit, and the first to be offered to men as well as women. By 2009 all those aged 60–69 should have received an invitation to take part in this type of screening through the NHS.

People who were interviewed and who took part in the bowel cancer screening programme were very enthusiastic about every aspect of the service. Those who had a ‘normal’ result liked being reassured, while those who were diagnosed with bowel cancer recognised that early diagnosis might have saved their lives. Some knew that other countries do not have a bowel screening programme and commented that they felt lucky that one is being introduced in the UK.

The research and one-on-one interviews behind the website was conducted by the DIPEx Research Group,based at Oxford’s Department of Primary Health Care.

For more information contact DIPEx on 01865 289328

See www.dipex.org for the overall site, and www.dipex.org/screeningforbowelcancer for the section on screening for bowel cancer.

Notes to editors

  • DIPEx is a research project and charity based in Oxford and set up by Dr Ann McPherson CBE, University Lecturer in General Practice, and Dr Andrew Herxheimer, after their own personal experiences of illness. The website was launched in July 2001 to provide access to personal accounts of health and illness. The site – which receives almost 2 million hits a month – currently has 32 modules, including ones on cancers, heart attack, depression, and living with dying. Ultimately the group aims to publish 100 collections on its website. Each collection contains analyses of what everyone who was interviewed said was important to them about their condition or illness, illustrated by video, audio and written excerpts chosen from the interviews. DIPEx collections also contain evidence-based information about each illness/condition and FAQs and answers, and carry links to other sources of information and patient support groups.
  • As well as being a resource for patients, DIPEx collections are also being used to help medical students and GPs in training look at issues of choice, better consultations, breaking bad news and the impact on the family. Over 3,000 organisations have links to the DIPEx website, including NHS Direct Online, Macmillan Cancer Relief, Cancer Research UK, British Heart Foundation and CancerBACUP.
  • In 2004 the DIPEx site won the BUPA Foundation Communication Award, and in 2005 won prizes from the Health Services Journal and the BMA book awards for websites.
  • DIPEx funds a Research Group within the Department of Primary Care, University of Oxford, where the research about people’s experience of screening for bowel cancer was carried out by Dr Alison Chapple.

Further information