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Flood T, O Neill A, Oliveira CM, Barbosa B, Soares AL, Muscat K, Guille S, McClure P, Hughes C, McFadden S. 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. Radiography (Lond) 2023; 29 Suppl 1:S117-S127. [PMID: 36959043 DOI: 10.1016/j.radi.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2022] [Revised: 02/08/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/25/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION The role of the Therapy Radiographer/Radiation Therapist (TR/RTT) is to provide radiotherapy to patients with a cancer diagnosis. This includes, not only administration of treatment, but also management of side-effects and provision of support/care. Despite this role being consistent throughout Europe, there is currently no standardisation of education for TRs/RTTs. The SAFE EUROPE project aims to standardize TR/RTT education to enable 'safe and free exchange' of TRs/RTTs across Europe. Consequently, this study aims to explore patients' perspectives regarding the current skills and competencies of TRs/RTTs. METHODS From May 2021 to February 2022, semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients who had recently received radiotherapy in the UK, Malta and Portugal. Ethical approval for this study was granted by the NHS Research Ethics Committee with additional local approvals obtained. RESULTS Forty-eight participants from the UK (n = 18), Portugal (n = 19), and Malta (n = 11) completed interviews. Participants described high satisfaction with TRs'/RTTs' competence and skills in all three countries. The main theme arising from the analysis was the importance of trust building with TRs/RTTs. Six factors were identified as influencing levels of trust: communication; side-effect management; team consistency; relational skills; patient dignity; and competence. A small number of patients reported feeling rushed and not having their physical and emotional needs met by TRs/RTTs. CONCLUSION This multicentre study demonstrated that patients perceive TRs/RTTs in the UK, Malta and Portugal as highly competent and skilled. Practical recommendations are provided to address identified deficits in practice, which can be addressed through adaptation of TR/RTT education/training and clinical practice. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE Recommendations arising from this study are important to ensure that TRs/RTTs have transferable skills that provide consistently high quality care to patients throughout Europe.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Flood
- Lecturer in Radiotherapy and Oncology, Ulster University Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - A O Neill
- Ulster University, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - C M Oliveira
- Radiotherapy Department, Instituto Português de Oncologia Do Porto (IPO Porto), R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 865, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal.
| | - B Barbosa
- Radiotherapy Department, Instituto Português de Oncologia Do Porto (IPO Porto), R. Dr. António Bernardino de Almeida 865, 4200-072 Porto, Portugal.
| | - A L Soares
- Medical Physics Service,Portuguese Oncology Institute of Porto, Porto, Portugal.
| | - K Muscat
- University of Malta, MSD 2080, Malta.
| | - S Guille
- Ulster University, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - P McClure
- Ulster University, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - C Hughes
- School of Nursing and School of Health Sciences, Ulster University, Northern Ireland, UK.
| | - S McFadden
- Senior Lecturer, Ulster University, Northern Ireland, UK.
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