Effectiveness of preoperative group education for patients with colorectal cancer: managing expectations.

Purpose: To evaluate the potential beneficial effect of preoperative face-to-face group education after colonic surgery in a pre-existing ERAS pathway environment.

Methods: Patients were randomized to cohorts for 3 weeks to either the standard preoperative counseling by the colorectal surgeon and the nurse practitioner (control group) or to the additional group education (intervention group). Patients scored EORTC-QLQ-info25 after the preoperative information was completed and the EORTC-QLQ-30 and EORTC-QLQ-29 prior to surgery and 1, 3, and 6 months after surgery.