Communicating the External Beam Radiotherapy Experience (CEBRE) Discussion Guides: Real World Implementation and Evaluation

Abstract

Background Communicating about the radiotherapy treatment process can be difficult for both patients and healthcare professionals. The Communicating the External Beam Radiotherapy Experience (CEBRE) discussion guides use graphic narratives to explain external beam radiotherapy. The CEBRE and CEBRE en Español guidelines have been freely available for download (https://www.roecsg.org/cebre and https://roecsg.org/cebre-en-espanol/) since October 2018 and August 2021, respectively. The guides aim to help educate patients, facilitate communication between radiation oncologists and patients, and reduce treatment-related anxiety Methods This study reports data regarding global downloads of the CEBRE guides since 2018 and describes development of an “implementation and use” survey. Individuals downloading the guides were asked to report their institution, profession, and likelihood of using the guides clinically (5-point Likert scale; 1 not at all likely to 5 extremely likely). To evaluate real-world implementation, a more detailed survey will be distributed via REDCap to individuals who previously downloaded the guides. Survey data will provide information on how physicians or other radiation therapy team members are using these unique patient education materials, where they are being used, and potential areas for improvement. Results As of 10/16/22, 602 individuals have downloaded the CEBRE guides in English and 63 in Spanish. The English CEBRE has been downloaded in the United States (n=466), India (n=14), Philippines (n=12), and 33 other countries (n=110). CEBRE en Español has been downloaded in the United States (n=28), Mexico (n=9), Chile (n=7) and 6 other countries (n=19). The median reported likelihood of using CEBRE clinically was 4 (interquartile range, 3-4) for the English guides and 4 (3-5) for Spanish. The survey to determine real-world implementation and use is currently underway, and results will be presented when available. Discussion The CEBRE guides have been downloaded around the globe since public release. The ongoing survey will characterize how the CEBRE guides are being used worldwide. This data will also open opportunities for improvement and future study, such as potential adaptations to other languages and applications for other healthcare fields. Communicating about the radiotherapy treatment process can be difficult for both patients and healthcare professionals. The Communicating the External Beam Radiotherapy Experience (CEBRE) discussion guides use graphic narratives to explain external beam radiotherapy. The CEBRE and CEBRE en Español guidelines have been freely available for download (https://www.roecsg.org/cebre and https://roecsg.org/cebre-en-espanol/) since October 2018 and August 2021, respectively. The guides aim to help educate patients, facilitate communication between radiation oncologists and patients, and reduce treatment-related anxiety This study reports data regarding global downloads of the CEBRE guides since 2018 and describes development of an “implementation and use” survey. Individuals downloading the guides were asked to report their institution, profession, and likelihood of using the guides clinically (5-point Likert scale; 1 not at all likely to 5 extremely likely). To evaluate real-world implementation, a more detailed survey will be distributed via REDCap to individuals who previously downloaded the guides. Survey data will provide information on how physicians or other radiation therapy team members are using these unique patient education materials, where they are being used, and potential areas for improvement. As of 10/16/22, 602 individuals have downloaded the CEBRE guides in English and 63 in Spanish. The English CEBRE has been downloaded in the United States (n=466), India (n=14), Philippines (n=12), and 33 other countries (n=110). CEBRE en Español has been downloaded in the United States (n=28), Mexico (n=9), Chile (n=7) and 6 other countries (n=19). The median reported likelihood of using CEBRE clinically was 4 (interquartile range, 3-4) for the English guides and 4 (3-5) for Spanish. The survey to determine real-world implementation and use is currently underway, and results will be presented when available. The CEBRE guides have been downloaded around the globe since public release. The ongoing survey will characterize how the CEBRE guides are being used worldwide. This data will also open opportunities for improvement and future study, such as potential adaptations to other languages and applications for other healthcare fields.