Evaluating the impact of the head & neck specialist radiographer on patient experience in radiotherapy

Abstract

Keywords: Patient experience, head and neck cancer, service evaluation, service improvements, questionnaire, survey Introduction: The Head & Neck (HN) Specialist Radiographer role: This role was introduced 18-months ago to improve patient care and outcomes, and is underpinned by the four pillars of advanced practice (1). Rationale for survey Evidence suggests that the information and support for HN cancer (HNC) patients is often inadequate or restricted to the treatment period and not beyond (2-4). An evaluation of the local services provided to HNC patients was required. Method & Materials: To identify levels of satisfaction and highlight potential areas for service improvements, a patient satisfaction survey was developed at:1.Pre-treatment (QA)2.During treatment (QB)3.Post-treatment (QC) (1st follow-up post-treatment) Results: Overall, patients were satisfied with the information and support at all three stages of the radiotherapy (RT) pathway. All patients felt well supported by the staff involved when told their diagnosis and treatment plan. All patients felt that they were given the information needed to help them to make decisions about their treatment and care. However, only 52% were invited to attend a RT open evening and only 1 patient attended. During treatment, all patients felt there was ‘just the right amount’ of reviews and the majority were happy to see a radiographer rather than a doctor. After treatment, the majority (96%) felt the timing of the first follow-up appointment (4-6 weeks after treatment) was ‘about right’. However, 65% would have opted for an additional earlier review with the H&N radiographer after treatment. Conclusion & Discussion: Patient satisfaction with information and support was high throughout the RT pathway, but lowest during the initial post-treatment period. Although patients felt satisfied with the timing of post-treatment follow-up, most would have opted for an earlier review with the HN specialist radiographer. Several potential areas for developments were identified including:•access to RT open evenings•information provision post-treatment. Undertaking this service evaluation provided patients the opportunity to directly impact on future service developments and the care of patients in the future. Numerical