Abstract:Radiation therapists (RTs) plan and deliver radiotherapy treatment for patients diagnosed with cancer. They need to communicate regularly with their patients and may have a role to play in reducing patient anxiety and distress. The objectives were to explore how the environment of radiotherapy departments supports or inhibits communication generally and information giving and supportive care provision in particular. An ethnographic approach was used to gather rich descriptive data through observations and inte… Show more
“…Potential barriers to effective professional‐patient exchanges were identified in this study. Staff who were viewed as too busy or who occupied technical roles were considered less likely to deal with psycho‐social concerns, however all professionals have a key role in reducing patients’ anxiety and distress (Lavergne, Taylor, Gillies, & Barisic, ; Merchant, O'Connor, & Halkett, ). Our findings highlight the importance of all staff being aware of their overall demeanour and its effect on patients’ well‐being.…”
Interactions with staff, patients and the hospital environment supported well-being in those receiving cancer treatment. Findings demonstrate additional areas for research including the development of interventions to facilitate peer support and the implementation of communication strategies that promote well-being.
“…Potential barriers to effective professional‐patient exchanges were identified in this study. Staff who were viewed as too busy or who occupied technical roles were considered less likely to deal with psycho‐social concerns, however all professionals have a key role in reducing patients’ anxiety and distress (Lavergne, Taylor, Gillies, & Barisic, ; Merchant, O'Connor, & Halkett, ). Our findings highlight the importance of all staff being aware of their overall demeanour and its effect on patients’ well‐being.…”
Interactions with staff, patients and the hospital environment supported well-being in those receiving cancer treatment. Findings demonstrate additional areas for research including the development of interventions to facilitate peer support and the implementation of communication strategies that promote well-being.
“…Mental disorders and emotional distress may not be properly diagnosed by oncologists; hence it is important to educate oncologists in order to improve their ability to identify patient distress, as suggested by Söllner et al [35]. Adequate information, communication, and assessment of patients by radiation therapists from the beginning of radiotherapy have a beneficial effect in the reduction of emotional distress in the patients, as demonstrated by Merchant et al [36]. It is important to evaluate/assess the distress emotional at different time points in the course of radiotherapy treatment through appropriate detection tests.…”
“…The first is the conversion of complex and unfamiliar descriptions to lay terminology. Secondly, time and staff restrictions exist for education within a clinical environment, where equipment and resources are often prioritised for clinical patient use . Radiation is imperceptible, which means that the public's ability to conceptualise radiation is compromised and often leads to a lack of understanding.…”
Section: Challenges Associated With Rt Patient Educationmentioning
The Virtual Environment for Radiotherapy Training (VERT) system is a recently available tool for radiation therapy education. The majority of research regarding VERT‐based education is focused on students, with a growing area of research being VERT's role in patient education. Because large differences in educational requirements exist between students and patients, focused resources and subsequent evaluations are necessary to provide solid justification for the unique benefits and challenges posed by VERT in a patient education context. This commentary article examines VERT's role in patient education, with a focus on salient visual features, VERT's ability to address some of the spatial challenges associated with RT patient education and how to combine technology with human care.
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