Patients' and Radiographers' Experiences and Views of Comfort Management in Radiotherapy

• Conditions: Cancer

• Registration Number: NCT03984435
• Lead Sponsor: University of the West of England

Brief Summary

A qualitative study exploring patient experiences of comfort during radiotherapy and radiographers' views of managing patient comfort during the delivery of radiotherapy

Detailed Description

Patients undergoing radiotherapy treatment for cancer frequently express their feelings of discomfort during the procedure, especially those who require radiotherapy with extended treatment times. This problem was explored by informal questioning of patients who revealed that this is a problem and causes distress and discomfort but that it was being accepted as being part of the treatment. In healthcare, several interventions have been used to improve the comfort of patients. In radiotherapy, there have been examples where positioning or relaxation has improved the patient's comfort. Literature searches have revealed some comfort interventions that can be used during radiotherapy treatment which may be possible interventions.

With the consent of the patient, it is intended to establish the patients' experience and views of comfort and comfort management during radiotherapy. Radiographers' experiences and views of managing patient comfort during radiotherapy will also be explored. It will also be essential to explore what would be the most ideal solution to comfort management, or how comfort could be improved, from the perspective of both patients and radiographers.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2019-02-08
• Status Verified: 2019-06
• Study First Submitted: 2019-06-10
• Study First Submitted QC: 2019-06-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2019-06-11
• Study First Posted: 2019-06-13
• Last Update Posted: 2019-06-13
• Primary Completion: 2019-08-15
• Study Completion: 2019-12-31

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 50

Inclusion Criteria

Patients:

1. diagnosed with a malignancy;
2. aged over 18 years owing to different treatment options for children and young adults;
3. recently referred for radiotherapy, currently receiving treatment or had had radiotherapy within the previous 3 months;
4. treatment delivery time exceeding 10 minutes (the time the patient is immobilised on the radiotherapy couch).

Therapeutic radiographers:

1. practicing Therapeutic radiographers;
2. administering radiotherapy with treatment delivery times exceeding 10 minutes per radiotherapy treatment session (the time the patient is immobilised on the radiotherapy couch).

Exclusion Criteria

Patients:

1. patients with treatment delivery time below 10 minutes;
2. unable to communicate in English.

Therapeutic Radiographers:

1. student Therapeutic radiographers,
2. no more than two radiographers from the same radiotherapy department.

Study & Design

• Study Type: OBSERVATIONAL
• Study Design: Not specified

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Experiences of comfort during radiotherapy - qualitative (non-standard outcome measure)	Duration of radiotherapy and up to three months after	This is qualitative research and the outcomes are derived from transcribed interviews analysed thematically generating codes, themes and sub-themes of patient and radiographers lived experiences of comfort during radiotherapy.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Musgrove Park Hospital; 🇬🇧 Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom