ESTRO 2024 - Abstract Book

S5802

RTT - Education, training, advanced practice and role developments

ESTRO 2024

The RTT practice was assessed through a non-validated inhouse staff survey, and all the data was collated on an Excel spreadsheet. To evaluate the specialist MRT service, anonymised data on the patient cohort from 2021-2023 was collected and collated into a password-protected Excel spreadsheet. Basic demographics were evaluated. The evaluation was approved by management.

Results:

Five MRT RTTs completed the survey. Overwhelmingly, all participants stated that they believe their job role in MRT encompasses tasks belonging to multiple different staff groups within the hospital (Table 1). This highlights that the role of an RT in an MRT service is highly advanced and that there is a need for upskilling the workforce. 100% strongly agreed that they talk to patients about radiation protection and 80% about side effects. 80% of staff agreed that they often must deal with patients who have complex social and emotional needs directly. Table 2 demonstrates that most paediatric and teenage patients come from outside of our hospital’s catchment area. 25% of these patients were enrolled in a clinical trial, which adds a further layer of complication as trial protocols are often rigorous and these families require extra support from the RTTs. The patient demographics in Table 2 highlight the uniqueness and breadth of our patient cohort, with many of these patients travelling a great distance to our centre for treatment. Being away from home at a vulnerable time in their lives means that paediatric patients and their families require a lot more emotional support, which RTTs provide as the main point of contact.