ESTRO 2025 - Abstract Book

S4175

RTT - Patient experience and quality of life

ESTRO 2025

treatment journey; it is personalised, coordinated and enabling (1). The involvement of patient educators (people with a “lived experience” of cancer) is one of many teaching strategies employed in the pre-registration curricula for radiation therapists which is focused on fostering the principles of person-centred care. This study investigates the impact of this on students’ learning and behaviour in practice. Material/Methods: Institutional ethical approval was granted. Persons’ who had a “lived experience” of a cancer diagnosis and treatment were identified and approached via their social media platforms, or through local professional networks (n=4). Individuals were provided with the details of the program, and the proposed sessions. Amendments to the sessions were made in collaboration with these individuals. As a result, there was variation in the contributions of individuals. Students were invited to submit questions, and these questions were reviewed by the patient educator prior to the session. Students completed reflections on the experience. Students and patient educators provided qualitative feedback on individual sessions. Results: Four sessions were delivered over the duration of the program, with one patient educator contributing to each of the Principles and Practice of Radiation Therapy modules. These sessions took the form of a short presentation from the educator followed by a question-and-answer session. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive from students and contributors. Feedback from patient educator three: “A key goal for me as a patient advocate is to encourage radiation therapy students to be advocates for their patients. They see us in the bunker and have a brief chance to speak to us before and after treatment. They can refer us for help. But to be an advocate and have the confidence to refer or help establish a referral system, radiation therapists need the confidence to speak up” Feedback from student five: “Patient centred care is extremely important and advocating for your patient How we as radiation therapists can improve patient experience by hearing from patients themselves what they found hard, what they liked/didn’t like etc.”. Conclusion: The inclusion of patient educators in curriculum design and education has contributed to student’s awareness of the domains of communication, person centredness, attention to patient comfort, respect for equality, diversity and inclusion.

Keywords: Lived experience, education, cancer

References: 1. Health Foundation (Great Britain). Person-centred care made simple: what everyone should know about person centred care. Health Foundation; 2016.

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Digital Poster Impact of Using a Virtual Reality Headset Before Stereotactic Radiotherapy Sessions with CyberKnife® Ilan DARMON 1,2,3 , Nathaniel Scher 1,2,3 , Sabrina Costa 3 , Olivier Bauduceau 1,2,3 , Marc Bollet 1,2,3 , Hanah Lamallem 1,2,3 , Alain Toledano 1,2,3 1 Radiotherapy, Hartmann Oncology Radiotherapy Group, Levallois-Perret, France. 2 Integrative Medicine Care, Rafael Institute, Levallois-Perret, France. 3 Radiotherapy, Hartmann Institute, Levallois-Perret, France