Abstract
BackgroundRadiation, for either diagnosis or treatment, is used extensively in the field of oncology. An understanding of oncology radiation safety principles and how to apply them in practice is critical for nursing practice. Misconceptions about radiation are common, resulting in undue fears and concerns that may negatively impact patient care. Effectively educating nurses to help overcome these misconceptions is a challenge. Historically, radiation safety training programs for oncology nurses have been compliance-based and behavioral in philosophy.MethodsA new radiation safety training initiative was developed for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC) adapting elements of current adult education theories to address common misconceptions and to enhance knowledge. A research design for evaluating the revised training program was also developed to assess whether the revised training program resulted in a measurable and/or statistically significant change in the knowledge or attitudes of nurses toward working with radiation. An evaluation research design based on a conceptual framework for measuring knowledge and attitude was developed and implemented using a pretest-intervention-posttest approach for 15% of the study population of 750 inpatient registered oncology nurses.ResultsAs a result of the intervention program, there was a significant difference in nurse's cognitive knowledge as measured with the test instrument from pretest (58.9%) to posttest (71.6%). The evaluation also demonstrated that while positive nursing attitudes increased, the increase was significant for only 5 out of 9 of the areas evaluated.ConclusionThe training intervention was effective for increasing cognitive knowledge, but was less effective at improving overall attitudes. This evaluation provided insights into the effectiveness of training interventions on the radiation safety knowledge and attitude of oncology nurses.
Highlights
Radiation, for either diagnosis or treatment, is used extensively in the field of oncology
Hypothesis evaluation findings The t-test was utilized to test if as a result of the intervention program there would be no significant difference in nurse's cognitive knowledge as measured with the cognitive test instrument
The calculated t-value was 5.56, with a degree of freedom of 224 and a p = 1.85 × 10-7. This evaluation suggested that as a result of the intervention program, there was a significant difference in nurse's cognitive knowledge as measured with the instrument from pretest to posttest
Summary
For either diagnosis or treatment, is used extensively in the field of oncology. Akers[2] points out that healthcare personnel, those of childbearing age, are concerned about occupational exposures as they relate to fertility and pregnancy. These fears stem primarily from misconceptions and misunderstandings of radiation and the lack of knowledge of the effects of radiation[3]. Fear of radiation is highly communicable[2] and can negatively affect patient care. This concern is especially relevant to cancer patients who often search out or receive education about the risks and benefits of radiation treatments. Prior to entering the hospital, patients have generally come to accept the principle that the benefit of radiation treatment far outweighs the possible risks
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