title: Opinions from the experts: exploring what prostate cancer patients should know about post-operative radiotherapy.
abstract: The present study investigated health professionals' opinions about important questions that should be discussed with patients who may require post-prostatectomy radiotherapy. A 74-question survey was conducted among radiation oncologists, urologists, nurses, and radiation therapists involved in the care of prostate cancer patients. Survey questions covered six domains: understanding my situation and prostate cancer diagnosis, making a decision, radiotherapy: procedures involved, potential benefits, side effects, and my support network during radiation treatment. Respondents rated the importance of addressing these questions as either essential, important, no opinion, or avoid with a hypothetical post-prostatectomy case. The majority of questions were rated as either essential or important. There was disagreement between professions on essential questions, mostly between nurses and urologists in the side-effects domain. There was agreement between all professions regarding which questions should be avoided.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Therapy, Odette Cancer Centre, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: D'Alimonte
authors.forename: Kaitlin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Koo
authors.forename: Emily
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Deb
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Feldman-Stewart
authors.forename: Arlene
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Court
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fitch
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Di Prospero
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Maamoun
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szumacher
mesh_terms: D003657:Decision Making; D005104:Expert Testimony / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000592:standards*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011184:Postoperative Period; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011379:Prognosis; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000601:surgery; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013038:Specialization; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires