Table 1.

Description of the studies used in this paper.

First author & Reference	Location of study	Study Type	Time period studied
Chohan [6]	Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge	Retrospective observational study	Jul 2000 to Dec 2001
Maruthachalam [7]	Newcastle upon Tyne NHS Trust	Prospective evaluative study	Jan to Dec 2003
Eccersley [8]	Luton & Dunstable NHS Trust	Prospective audit	Jan 2000 to March 2001
Walsh [9]	Blackpool Victoria Hospital, Blackpool	Prospective audit	Aug to Oct 2000
Debnath [10]	South Durham Healthcare Trust	Prospective audit	Aug 2000 to Jul 2001
Flashman [11]	Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth	Prospective audit	Jul 2000 to Jun 2001
Barwick [12]	St James' University Hospital, Leeds	Retrospective observational study	Jan to Aug 2001
Tricket [13]	Ashford & St Peter's Hospital NHS Trust	Prospective observational study †	Nov 2000 to Oct 2001

Key: ^† Study looked at CRC patients only