ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S4155

RTT - Patient experience and quality of life

ESTRO 2025

images, and models to reduce fear and help children become familiar with the equipment. During treatment, staff provided gentle reminders, encouraged questions, and created a trusting environment, ensuring that children felt safe and supported. Children's anxiety levels, measured with the RCMAS scale before and after treatment, showed a significant decrease. The average anxiety score dropped from 22.5 (moderate anxiety) to 15.3 after treatment (p < 0.01), with only 10% of children having high anxiety post-treatment. The reduction was particularly marked (10-point drop) in children who had preliminary visits, while those without prior exposure to the radiotherapy department showed a smaller reduction of 4.2 points. Parental satisfaction was high, with 85% of parents very satisfied, especially valuing the clear and empathetic communication from staff (78%). Only 2% were dissatisfied, mainly due to a need for more detailed treatment information, and these parents were illiterate. Interviews with children and parents revealed key insights about their radiotherapy experience. Children expressed fears about the unknown aspects of treatment, but those who had preliminary visits felt more comfortable. Parents suggested adding fun activities and making treatment information more accessible. Conclusion: The results indicate that effective welcoming strategies in radiotherapy, such as preliminary visits and engaging play activities, significantly reduce children's anxiety and enhance parental satisfaction. Testimonials highlight the importance of clear communication and psychological preparation before treatment sessions, emphasizing their role in fostering a more positive experience for both children and families.

Keywords: Anxiety, Pediatric, Radiotherapy

References: (1) Turgeon, L., & Chartrand, É. (2003). Reliability and validity of the Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale in a French-Canadian sample. Psychological Assessment, 15(3), 378–383.

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Digital Poster Involving brain tumour patients and their carers in the protocol development of the Cognitive Decline after Brain Radiosurgery Study (CoDeB-Rad). Anna Bangiri 1,2 , Adele Horobin 1 , Julia Baker 3 , Stefan Pszczolkowski Parraguez 1 , Steffanie Thust 1 , Paul S Morgan 1,4 1 School Of Medicine, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom. 2 Radiotherapy Physics, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom. 3 Patient and Public Contributor, Patient and Public Contributor, Doncaster, United Kingdom. 4 Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, Nottingham, United Kingdom Purpose/Objective: Patient and public involvement (PPI) in research is where patients, carers and/or members of the public are actively involved in research so that it is carried out ‘with’ or ‘by’ them rather than ‘to’, ‘about’ or ‘for’ them 1, 2 . Our objective was to involve patients and carers in developing the research question, methodology and protocol for the CoDeB Rad study. The study aims to identify potential side effects of stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS). Material/Methods: Three national UK charities, Maggie’s, brainstrust and The Brain Tumour Charity, were contacted and engaged to advertise involvement opportunities to their members. The intention was to identify the different views and lived experiences of patients with brain tumours as well as their carers. Discussion groups were planned, along with attending support group meetings. Instead, online questionnaires and one-to-one discussions were introduced.