Patients’ perspectives of the skills and competencies of therapy radiographers/radiation therapists (TRs/RTTs) in the UK, Portugal and Malta; a qualitative study from the SAFE Europe project

The effectiveness of interprofessional peer-led teaching and learning for therapeutic radiography students and Speech and Language Therapy students

“…By understanding the radiotherapy process and pathway, SLTs will be able to recognise and report normal or abnormal reactions to the radiotherapy team. This consistent communication is a vital component of patient care in order to build trusting relationships with healthcare professionals during the radiotherapy process [ 8 ].…”

Holistic Person-Centered Care in Radiotherapy: Protocol for a Scoping Review

“…They are equally responsible for providing care and support, monitoring and managing treatment-related toxicities, and coordinating supportive care, which can be last up to 6 weeks [ 8 ]. This places the radiotherapist in a unique position to engage with patients concerning their diagnosis and treatment [ 16 , 17 ]. However, despite the radiotherapist’s direct contact with the patient, the narrative tends to focus more on technical tasks and other barriers, often at the cost of important psychosocial needs not being met [ 18 ].…”

“…However, despite the radiotherapist’s direct contact with the patient, the narrative tends to focus more on technical tasks and other barriers, often at the cost of important psychosocial needs not being met [ 18 ]. Radiotherapists’ disregard for patient care has also been influenced by the stressful nature of the workplace environment and the time pressures they face [ 17 ]. Nonetheless, the consequences of providing support in the form of empathy, compassion, and reassurance must be understood by radiotherapists, as it can result in alleviating their patients’ anxiety and fear before the treatment [ 19 ].…”

“…Empathy is of particular importance in cancer delivery, as patients acknowledge having greater satisfaction and self-awareness when treated with empathy [ 20 , 21 ]. The length of time that a patient with cancer spends interacting with a radiotherapist has been shown to have a considerable impact on their overall experience [ 17 ]. Radiotherapists’ daily direct contact with patients with cancer, therefore, not only enables them to prioritize their unique needs and values but also allows them to be involved in their care, creating a person-centered approach to treatment.…”

“…This process can be initiated by building a rapport with each patient, communicating effectively, answering their questions, discussing their preferences, listening actively, addressing their physical and emotional needs, providing them with dignity, and collaborating with other health care professionals to ensure the patient’s needs are met. Patients stated that they felt more included and positive about their radiotherapy treatment when these aspects were addressed [ 8 , 17 , 22 ]. Person-centered care is also considered to be synonymous with “wholism,” or, as some may prefer, “holism.” Holistic care considers the body, mind, soul, and spirit as interrelated and acknowledges the whole experience [ 23 ].…”