Perceptions of Radiation Therapists about Providing Psychosocial and Supportive Care to Patients at Peel Regional Cancer Center

Abstract Background Many patients with cancer undergoing radiation treatment have unmet psychosocial and supportive care (PSOSC) needs. Radiation therapists (RTs) have a unique opportunity to provide PSOSC, but the published literature is limited regarding their perceptions and beliefs about delivering such care. A survey was designed to evaluate these aspects. Methods A one-time, cross-sectional survey was distributed to 52 RTs at the Peel Regional Cancer Centre, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. This survey contained six baseline questions and 34 item statements. The 34 statements spanned three themes: (1) convictions and motivations, (2) preparedness and execution, and (3) resources and facilitators. Participants were asked to rank statements on an eight-point scale, from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." Results Eighty-three percent of the RTs responded. Respondents reported they were engaged for 6.2 hours per week in supporting patients with PSOSC. This was despite a technical focus of organizing and delivering a course of radiotherapy for each patient, a relatively fixed schedule, and short-duration time slots booked per patient. Overall, respondents reported a moderately strong level of convictions and motivations for including PSOSC in practice. They perceived that they were not using all of their existing PSOSC skills and knowledge on the job and that supporting professional (eg, training and scheduling) and environmental (eg, screening tools, physical environment, and policies) infrastructures for PSOSC were not optimized. Conclusions A majority of the respondents believed PSOSC to be an integral part of providing quality care to radiation oncology patients. Findings showed that staff members were highly motivated to provide this care and perceived that, with additional support, their capacity to provide such care in a way that is meaningful to patients would increase.