Patients' perspectives on the role of radiation therapists

Abstract

Objective: To examine patients' perspectives on the role of radiation therapists and to develop substantive theory about the relationships patients form with their radiation therapists.

Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 34 breast cancer patients in Western Australia. Interviews were tape-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Grounded theory and the constant comparative method were used to analyse the data.

Results: The major finding from this study was the importance that patients placed on achieving a sense of emotional comfort during their radiation therapy. Two ways in which patients achieved this comfort were by forming relationships with radiation therapists and gaining information related to their treatment and care.

Conclusion: Radiation therapists played a central role in enabling patients to achieve a sense of emotional comfort. Although radiation therapists have a technical job they need to remain aware of their role in providing patient care and take appropriate steps to ensure that they can assist patients in feeling comfortable during their radiation therapy.

Practice implications: The role of the radiation therapist in assisting patients to achieve a sense of emotional comfort needs to be formalised to ensure that all patients in radiation therapy are aware of the radiation therapist's role and receive a similar level of care during treatment.