Background
Immediately post-radiotherapy, patients report challenges transitioning from regular contact with the treating team to follow-up (FU) care. To prepare patients at Peter Mac for FU, a nurse-led end of radiotherapy consultation was implemented from 2019. In 2022, customised survivorship information and a treatment summary was added. We sought to evaluate patient perspectives of the service.
Methods
A custom telephone survey comprising open, limited option and Likert scale questions, assessed patients’ perceived value of service timing, information provision and preparation for the FU phase. Between July and October 2022, all patients who experienced the service were invited to participate. An independent researcher approached survivors within two months of completing treatment, discussed the evaluation and administered the survey. As a quality assurance project, ethics approval was not sought.
Results
Thirty of 41 patients completed the survey (RR = 73%), with a mean age of 56 years (range 31-76), 70% (21/30) were female, cancer diagnoses: breast (40%, 12/30), head and neck (23%, 7/30), lung (10%, 3/10) and brain (10%, 3/10).
The majority (79%, 23/30) rated the consultation five stars (scale 1-5) and indicated sufficient time within the consultation to discuss their needs/concerns (83%, 25/30). All (100%, 30/30) reported receiving a FU appointment and 82% (24/30) received contact details for the team. The majority (77%, 23/30) agreed or strongly agreed the treatment summary and information pack provided were useful; (88%, 22/25) felt the final treatment was the appropriate time to receive the information, and agreed or strongly agreed it helped prepare them for what to expect post-treatment (83%, 25/30). The most valued aspect of the consultation was the opportunity to ask questions and receive tailored support.
Conclusion
Patients highly rate the nurse-led end of radiotherapy consultation and tailored information believing it helps them prepare for the post-treatment phase.