Evaluation of fear of radiation and isolation before and after radioiodine therapy.
BACKGROUND
Prior to undergoing radioiodine therapy (RIT), patients regularly have concerns about isolation on the ward (mandatory for RIT for at least 48 hours in Germany due to radiation protection legislation) as well as fear of the presence of radioactive substances. In this study, these fears were investigated before and after RIT.


METHODS
A questionnaire was developed for completion both before and after radioiodine therapy. Questions included: (i) "Are you afraid of a therapy with radioactive substances?" (ii) "Do you have reservations about contact with radioactive substances?" and (iii) "Are you anxious about isolation?" Possible answers were made in a qualitative representation using a scale of 1-4 (4=full agreement, 3=mostly agreement, 2=partial agreement, and 1=no agreement). Further questions included, for example, sources of information used prior to therapy. A total of 209 patients treated by single or preplanned multiple RIT were surveyed over a period of 8 months (return 109). Analysis was done in subgroups according to age, education, disease, and number of RITs.


RESULTS
Question 1, "Are you afraid of a therapy with radioactive substances?" showed a similar statistically relevant decline in each subgroup (p<0.05), except for patients with multiple RIT (p=0.81). Asked about the handling of radioactive substances and their perception about the safety in this regard, the entire collective showed a highly statistically significant (p<0.01) decrease with little variability between the groups. The question concerning fear of isolation resulted in a significant decrease (p<0.05) in all subgroups, except for patients with multiple RIT (p=0.13). Analysis of sources of information before RIT showed that older patients preferred printed material and rarely used online resources, while younger patients used the internet more frequently, in addition to printed materials. Finally, most patients would undergo radioiodine therapy again (medical indication provided), with 54% fully agreeing and only 4% not agreeing.


CONCLUSIONS
The survey demonstrates a reduction in concerns about nuclear radiation, use of unsealed radioactive materials, and isolation on the ward after RIT. Surprisingly, concerns rise again before a subsequent therapy.
1 Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Frankfurt , Frankfurt am Main, Germany .
Friederike
F
von Müller
Christian
C
Happel
Jörg
J
Reinhardt
Wolfgang Tilman
WT
Kranert
Benjamin
B
Bockisch
Daniel
D
Gröner
Hanns
H
Ackermann
Frank
F
Grünwald
D005239:Fear / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013959:Thyroid Diseases / Q000523:psychology / Q000532:radiotherapy*
D007457:Iodine Radioisotopes