Naomi Findlay

Disruption to radiation therapy sessions due to anxiety among patients receiving radiation therapy to the head and neck area can be predicted using patient self-report measures

Objective: This analysis sought to determine whether patient self‐report measures were associated with disruption to radiation therapy sessions due to anxiety among cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy to the head and neck region.

Validation and use of the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool: a three‐year longitudinal study of RT students’ reflective journals

Freeform written personal development journals are used within the Radiation Therapy (RT) program at the University of Newcastle to promote reflection on practice. The journals are developed by students on completion of each semester based professional placement (clinical placement). To evaluate the level of reflection within journals the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool (NRAT) was developed. The NRAT allows for both narrow and broad classification of reflective writing, useful for formal and informal reflective writing assessments. This paper provides validation of the NRAT in the assessment of freeform reflective writing and its use in the assessment of reflection in RT student journals. The results also indicate the need to introduce interventions to foster students’ reflective writing ability within the RT program. As a result of these findings the Newcastle Reflective Inventories (NRI) have been developed. The NRIs are short form guided inventories aimed at assisting students with their reflective writing development.

A comparison between patient self-report and radiation therapists’ ability to identify anxiety and distress in head and neck cancer patients requiring immobilization for radiation therapy

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to identify the incidence of anxiety and distress among patients requiring immobilization during radiation therapy to the head and neck region; then to compare this with radiation therapists’ ability to identify anxiety in the same group of patients. Materials and methods: Data from a sample of 70 patients requiring an immobilization mask participated in this study. Patient self-report assessments and radiation therapists’ ratings were recorded at two time points, CT-Simulation and fraction 1 of treatment. Self-reported patient anxiety was assessed with the Brief Symptom Inventory-18. To determine radiation therapists’ ratings of patient anxiety, two rating scales were developed. Results: Patient self-report identified anxiety in 16% and 14% of patients at CT Simulation and fraction 1 of treatment, respectively. Radiation therapists identified anxiety in 24% patients at time point one and in 44% of patients at time point two. Conclusion: There was slight agreement between patient self-reported levels of anxiety and radiation therapists’ ratings of patient anxiety. This study suggests that there is scope for further investigation into the identification and management of anxiety and distress in head and neck cancer patients requiring immobilization.

Development and validation of reflective inventories: assisting radiation therapists with reflective practice

Objective: Freeform reflective writing is one way that radiation therapists can document their development. Barriers to this form of writing include the fact that some radiation therapists do not know what to write or how to begin this writing process. This paper outlines the development and validation of guided inventories called the Newcastle Reflective Inventories and the validation of the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool as an effective tool for assessing short-form guided reflective writing. Method: The Newcastle Reflective Inventories consist of a series of questions that guides the user through the reflective writing process. Validation of the Newcastle Reflective Inventories involved comparing the evidence of reflection in 14 freeform journals to that of 14 inventories completed on the same topic. Validation of the Newcastle Reflective Analysis Tool included the assessment of 30 Newcastle Reflective Inventories. Results: There was a highly statistically significant difference ( p Discussion: These results show that the Newcastle Reflective Inventories are effective tools in promoting reflective writing when compared with freeform journaling.

Increasing nutritional support for patients undergoing radiation therapy: the radiation therapist perspective

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine radiation therapists’ knowledge on the nutritional management of side effects for patients receiving treatment to the gastrointestinal tract and genitourinary system and to determine the willingness of radiation therapists’ to participate in nutritional training. Method: A cross-sectional survey at a Radiation Oncology Treatment Centre was performed coupled with a semi-structured interview to explore radiation therapists’ knowledge and experiences related to patient nutritional care. Results: Eighty-one percent of participants agreed that they were often asked by patients for advice on eating. The majority of participants recognised that providing adequate nutrition support would be beneficial in terms of patient outcomes (91%) and ongoing patient compliance with nutrition advice (81%). However, participants demonstrated low confidence in providing nutrition support. Eighty-six percent of radiation therapists had not received any training on nutritional interventions and 100% of radiation therapists were interested in receiving more training. Conclusion: This research indicates that radiations therapists are often asked for nutritional advice by patients and recognise the associated benefits but are not confident in providing advice. Our findings reveal an opportunity for radiation therapists to provide scripted nutrition advice to patients to reinforce recommendations made by dietitian.

A qualitative analysis of radiation therapy students' professional placement journals

Purpose Student experience on clinical placement is not well captured with traditional program evaluation tools. This study aims to complete a qualitative analysis of the reflective clinical journals completed during professional placement by radiation therapy (RT) students in order to uncover the issues that affect students on placement and how these change as the students progress through the program. Materials and methods A qualitative descriptive analysis (QDA) was undertaken on the descriptive content of student journals completed by 97 students over 3 consecutive years while undertaking professional placement in Radiation Oncology Treatment Centres within Australia. Two coders used a QDA sourcebook specifically designed for the research to independently analyse the descriptive content of the reflective journals for four main categories and 18 subcategories. Results The result revealed a statistically significant increased tendency to discuss clinical environment and a decreased tendency to discuss the patient, 92·9–12·5% (coder 1) and 85·7–18·8% (coder 2), as they progressed through the program. Conclusions The results of this study showed some similarities with studies completed in other health professions; however, the breadth of issues explored within the content of these RT student journals demonstrates the true diversity of the RT student experience on professional placement.