TITLE:
Informational Needs in Women Undergoing Multifraction High Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer: A Prospective Qualitative Study
AUTHORS:
Kenza Benali, Tayeb Kebdani, Khalid Hassouni, Hanan El Kacemi, Sanaa El Majjaoui, Noureddine Benjaafar
KEYWORDS:
Brachytherapy, Cervical Cancer, Informational Needs, Qualitative Study
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Cancer Therapy,
Vol.13 No.5,
May
31,
2022
ABSTRACT: Objective: To identify the informational needs of Moroccan women receiving intracavitary
brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer as part of a process to
develop guidelines for quality patient-centered care. Methodology: A prospective, qualitative study with a
phenomenological approach was carried out at the Brachytherapy unit of the
National Institute of Oncology in Rabat, Morocco. Purposive sampling was used
to recruit 31 patients undergoing high dose-rate brachytherapy for cervical
cancer from July 2020 to August 2020. Semi-structured, one-to-one interviews
were conducted by a female radiation oncologist in Arabic, guided by a theme
list. The interviews were translated and a thematic
analysis was performed. Results: Data saturation was achieved having interviewing 31 participants, aged 27 - 70 years.
Findings on patients’ informational needs were the overarching theme and form
the focus of this article. The informational needs included: providing patients with disease- and treatment-related
information in their home language; adequate information concerning
pre-treatment preparation, possible side-effects, and sexual intercourse; and providing patients with informative material
adapted to their needs as standard procedure. Conclusion: This study has identified unmet women’s
informational needs during brachytherapy for cervical cancer. Providing
patients with sufficient and understandable information, adequate preparation
before the procedure, more sensitive support during the procedure, and debriefing afterward could lessen feelings of fear and anxiety
towards treatment delivery. Guidelines with a patient-centered approach could thus be developed to be used as a tool to assist members
of multidisciplinary teams in providing quality care to this group of women.