ESTRO 37 Abstract book

in 2006. Readability scores from the current study were compared with H&N PILs from the previous study and it was revealed that although the score from the current study had a slightly higher readability score 11.2 (95% CI 10.8-11.6) compared to the 2006 score of 10.7 (95% CI 10.3-11.1), the score had not changed significantly, t=1.9, p=0.08. Conclusion The majority of PIL’s assessed across all regions were very similar and were above the recommended reading levels recommended in the countries. This finding of a higher than recommended reading grade is in keeping with that of other healthcare studies on readability and would indicate that many of the target audience might not be able to read and understand the information being presented. Despite the advice on reading grade levels for PILs there has been no significant improvement in reading grade scores over the past 10 years. EP-2392 A novel radiotherapy education seminar for patients with head and neck cancer. T. McCloskey 1 , M. Lei 1 , T. Guerrero-Urbano 1 , A. Michaelidou 1 , J. Ewang 1 , P. Treasure 1 , A. Francis 1 1 Guy's and St.Thomas' Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Cancer Centre- Radiotherapy, LONDON, United Kingdom Purpose or Objective Radical radiotherapy (RT) is an important treatment modality for patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) treated with curative intent. This treatment is associated with a high incidence of grade 3 toxicities. Careful multidisciplinary preparation of patients for treatment may be helpful in managing the patient’s treatment journey and experience. Jenkins et al (2001) reported that 87% of cancer patients (2231 patients) prefer to have as much information as possible. However, no one type of information format or style will suit all patients (Mills and Sullivan 1999). The provision of information in multiple formats and scenarios (verbal, written, individual consultation, group & audio-visual) may help to meet the needs of as many patients as possible. At our institution, the specialist treatment review radiographer (TRR) for HNC who is also a non-medical prescriber of supportive medications, established a new pre-treatment educational seminar for patients with HNC who had consented to treatment with RT. The aim was to empower patients to participate in self-care regimes from as early a stage as possible. Delivery from a TRR provided information to patients from both technical radiographer and symptom support perspectives. Material and Methods Patients with HNC who had consented to radical RT with their oncologist, were invited to attend the group seminar. The seminar consisted of a video of the making of a RT immobilisation shell and a power point presen- tation with pictures of a head and neck treatment plan, volumes and image guidance techniques. All attendees were asked to fill in a feedback questionnaire. Results Between January and September 2017, 84 patients were invited to attend the seminar. 68% of patients chose to attend. 100% of patients completed a feedback questionnaire. 94% of patients felt that they were more prepared for their RT treatment after the seminar. Patients were happy to receive information in a group setting with only 5% stating they would have preferred individual appointments. Individual patient comments received included: ‘Nice to meet others in similar position’, ‘Great to meet others’ and ‘Other participants raised question's I would not have’.

Electronic Poster: RTT track: Patient care, side effects and communication

EP-2391 Readability of Internet sourced Patient Information Leaflets for Head and Neck Cancer in 3 Regions D. Flinton 1 , K. Haria 2 1 CIty- University of London, Radiography, London, United Kingdom 2 Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, Radiotherapy, Portsmouth, United Kingdom Purpose or Objective As the incidence of head and neck cancer increases and the number of patients receiving radiotherapy increase it is essential that this group of patients like others receive adequate information. The internet has seen a significant increase in its use as a source of information with over 80% of the adult UK population using the internet in 2016 compared with approximately 35% in 2006, an increase that is also reflected in other countries. One of the main uses of the internet, particularly in the older population is as a source of healthcare information.

Material and Methods

A simple Google search emulating how patients may search for information regarding head and neck radiotherapy was undertaken. Results were limited to information being provided by hospitals and countries whose first language was English. A total of 39 webpages were found; 14 from UK & Ireland, 14 - USA & Canada and 11 - Australia & NZ. Readability was assessed using both the Flesch Reading Ease Score (FRES) and Simple Measure Of Gobbledygook (SMOG) both of which are part of the output provided by the software Readability Studio. The FRES score utilises a 0–100 scale with higher scores indicating text that is easier to read. The SMOG test result returns a reading grade which equates to the U.S. school grade level. Results PIL’s varied largely in the information that was included, the majority of PIL’s across all regions captured all relevant information within one PIL, whilst others created different PIL’s for each aspect of the radiotherapy treatment; and as a result, this led to a difference in size and content of each PIL. Each region had a large variation in the total number of words, range of words, word complexity and average sentence length. The mean FRES scores for the UK & Ireland, USA & Canada and Australia & NZ were 60, 63 and 60 respectively. The mean SMOG scores were 11.2, 10.7 and 11.0. (Figure 1). There was no significant difference in scores between the countries, F=0.8, p=0.47. Of the webpages analysed only one met the figure recommended by UK government bodies of a reading grade no higher than 9. UK results were also compared to findings from a similar readability undertaken in the UK