Bowel preparation experiences and needs before follow-up colonoscopy in older adult postoperative colorectal cancer patients: A qualitative study

Table 1 Socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of participants

Participant ID	Gender	Age (years)	Education level	Marital status	Patient category	Surgical resection Site	Previous colonoscopy/bowel preparation (times)
P1	Male	65	Junior college	Married	Outpatient	Sigmoid colon	4
P2	Female	65	Elementary	Divorced	Outpatient	Ascending colon	3
P3	Female	77	Elementary	Widowed	Outpatient	Partial rectum	2
P4	Male	66	Middle school	Single	Outpatient	Rectum (stoma)	2
P5	Male	76	Middle school	Married	Inpatient	Partial descending colon	4
P6	Female	62	Middle school	Married	Inpatient	Rectosigmoid (stoma)	5
P7	Female	81	Illiterate	Widowed	Inpatient	Transverse colon	3
P8	Female	74	Technical school	Widowed	Outpatient	Ascending colon	2
P9	Male	66	Junior college	Married	Inpatient	Partial rectum	3
P10	Male	67	High school	Married	Outpatient	Sigmoid colon	2
P11	Female	74	Elementary	Widowed	Outpatient	Ascending colon	5
P12	Male	70	Illiterate	Widowed	Outpatient	Transverse colon	7
P13	Female	64	High school	Married	Outpatient	Partial descending colon	1
P14	Male	70	Middle school	Married	Outpatient	Partial rectum	1
P15	Female	77	Junior college	Widowed	Outpatient	Ascending colon	4

Table 2 Themes and sub-themes of the study

Theme	Sub-theme
Inadequate knowledge about bowel preparation
Decreased physiological comfort during bowel preparation	Gastrointestinal discomfort and sleep deprivation caused by bowel cleansing agents
	Hunger caused by dietary restrictions
Psychological changes curing different stages of bowel preparation	Pre-preparation: Fear and resistance due to previous experiences
	During preparation: Irritability and helplessness caused by taking bowel cleansing agents
	Post-preparation: Anxiety and worry while waiting for the colonoscopy
Needs related to bowel preparation	Detailed instructions from healthcare professionals
	More ideal bowel cleansing agents
	Shortened waiting times for colonoscopy