Abstract
PurposeThe logistical burdens of appointment scheduling and travel add to the psychological and emotional distress among patients with a new cancer diagnosis. This may be heightened among patients needing radiation therapy (RT), who must travel to and from a treatment facility daily for several weeks. Here, we studied the association between RT appointment waiting time and patient-reported pain and anxiety and explored additional factors that may influence daily waiting time. MethodsNinety-four patients undergoing RT at a single, academic institution were surveyed in the first and final weeks of treatment. On the day of the survey, patients were asked to report: pain (Likert scale: 0–10), anxiety (0–10), commute mode/time, and estimated waiting time for RT. Actual waiting times were calculated per review of the electronic scheduling system. ResultsIncreased objective waiting time was associated with higher pain scores at the start (P = .05) and end (P = 0.004) of RT, although overall pain scores were low at both time points (mean 1.4 and 1.5, respectively). Anxiety scores were also low (mean 1.2 at both time points) and were not associated with objective waiting time (P > .05). Of note, patients reported perceived waiting times that were considerably shorter than actual waiting times (mean 15 vs. 26 minutes, respectively, at first survey early in the RT course). Time of day and tumor site were not associated with waiting time. ConclusionDaily waiting time may play a role in pain and/or anxiety experienced by patients with cancer during RT. Perceived waiting time may differ substantially from actual waiting time and represents a potential area for intervention to improve patients’ quality of life.
Published Version
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