Travelling overseas for proton beam therapy: A retrospective interview study.

Autor: Skelton K; Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia., Gorayski P; Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.; Department of Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia., Tee H; Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia., Anderson N; University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre, Austin Health, Melbourne, South Australia, Australia.; Department of Medical Imaging and Radiation Sciences, School of Primary and Allied Health Care, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia., Le H; Australian Bragg Centre for Proton Therapy and Research, South Australian Health and Medical Research Institute, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.; Department of Radiation Oncology, Royal Adelaide Hospital, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.; Department of Allied Health and Human Performance, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Journal of medical radiation sciences [J Med Radiat Sci] 2024 Apr; Vol. 71 Suppl 2, pp. 10-18. Date of Electronic Publication: 2023 Aug 25.
DOI: 10.1002/jmrs.721
Abstrakt: Introduction: Travelling for cancer treatment comes with unique challenges, particularly for a young patient and his or her family. The aims of this study were to (1) gain an understanding of the experiences of families and patients who travelled overseas (OS) from Australia for proton beam therapy (PBT) and (2) identify the supportive care needs patients and their families require when living away from home, while having PBT.
Methods: This was a retrospective, qualitative study using semi-structured interviews, conducted with participants aged under 25 years and their families who travelled OS for PBT between 2017 and 2020. Data were analysed using Microsoft Excel Software, where key themes were identified and coded based on their responses. A total of 17 participants were included in interviews from seven Australian families who travelled to America or Europe for PBT.
Results: The majority of participants reported a lack of coordination with travel and treatment arrangements prior to arrival OS. Families who stayed in hotel accommodation while OS reported greater feelings of isolation compared with those who stayed in share house-style accommodation. The acuity of cancer diagnosis played a significant part in patient experience, with those patients requiring the greatest amount of supportive care and availability of service provision at stand-alone centres reporting a lack of appropriate care provision.
Conclusions: This study has identified services, accommodation provisions and care coordination requirements that are largely missing from the travel and treatment experience in patients travelling OS for PBT. Future use of consumer-led working groups or committees in creating models of care for families travelling for PBT treatment could be advantageous, with many families willing to share their experiences and provide support to others who are travelling for PBT.
(© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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