title: The experience of symptoms and information needs of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.
abstract: The aim was to determine the symptoms and information needs of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy (RT). The study population consisted of 345 RT patients accrued over 6 months. Patients' needs for information, sources of information, levels of satisfaction with information, symptoms and demographic factors were assessed by questionnaire and personal interview. Chi-square tests were used to test the correlation between patient variables and information needs/experiences. Most patients (80.9%) experienced RT side effects--fatigue, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite were the most frequent. More than half of the patients had not received information about RT; however, patients (83.2%) who had problems during the treatment wanted to have information (P < 0.05). The majority of the patients receiving information identified doctors as the primary source. The patients' prioritized needs for information were all the aspects of their diagnosis and treatment and side effects of RT. Overall, the results indicate that most patients require information about their treatment and also experienced a variety of symptoms.
authors.affiliation: Erciyes University Halil Bayraktar Health Services Vocational College, Kayseri, Turkey. gulsumc@erciyes.edu.tr
authors.forename: Gülsüm Nihal
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Güleser
authors.forename: Sultan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Taşci
authors.forename: Bünyamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kaplan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends*; D018787:Radiation Oncology; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014839:Vomiting / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D055815:Young Adult