Patients with Cancer Receiving Radiotherapy Health Education: Integrative Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Currently, radiotherapy is a backbone of cancer therapy and provides cure or palliative care for large numbers of cancer population. Patient information and education are important aspects of treatment which vary depending on the treatment site, length of the treatment, and type of the treatment.

Purpose: Assess the effectiveness of patient's educational intervention on the health status and correlated symptoms in patients with cancer undergoing radiotherapy treatment.

Methods: An integrative literature review design is used. A literature search is performed using three databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE via PubMed, and Cochrane Library using the combination of four key words. Nine articles were reviewed and considered in this review.

Findings: In the reviewed articles, there was a positive relationship between educational interventions and the patient's health status and associated symptoms regarding radiotherapy treatment. There was a consistency in the articles regarding the best time for education to be delivered, the most appropriate formatting for the education interventions, role of nurses regarding the effectiveness of delivering education, and the limitations which came across these studies.

Conclusion: Patient education has a positive effect on the general health status for the patient with cancer, and on the related-symptoms associated with radiotherapy.

Implications: The role of oncology nurses must be expanded to include nurse educators who are responsible for appropriate education of patient with cancer from the early diagnosis to the late stages of cancer.

Recommendations: Further investigations are required toward the patient's understanding about radiotherapy treatment and its related symptoms.

Keywords: patient education, health promotion, radiotherapy, cancer