Patient perceptions of advanced practice radiation therapists prescribing medication in radiation therapy.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was to determine patient perceptions of an advanced practice radiation therapist (APRT) prescribing medication for radiation therapy treatment-related side effects. By comprehending patient perceptions, it is important to implement change in order to improve patients' quality of life.

Methods: A literature review was conducted on advanced practice (AP) roles in Canada and world-wide; the roles searched were: APRT, nurse practitioner and pharmacist.

To prescribe or not to prescribe? Perceptions of radiation therapists prescribing medications for common radiation therapy side effects.

Background: During radiation therapy treatments patients may require medications to manage radiation toxicities. Since patients are assessed daily by Radiation Therapists (RTs) it would be optimal and timely for patients to receive medication prescriptions for relief of common radiation side effects from the RTs.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to determine the perceptions that RTs and Radiation Oncologists (ROs) have of frontline treatment RTs prescribing medications to patients for treatment-related side effects.

Staffing Levels and Workload for Radiation Therapists in Canada.

Purpose: The safe delivery of radiation therapy is dependent in part on the provision and organization of oncology professionals. General recommendations for staffing of radiation oncologists, medical physicists, and radiation therapists have been published, but most of these provide little detail, especially in the case of radiation therapists (RTs). In Canada, there are no guidelines or national standards for the staffing of RTs, and there is a paucity of Canadian data on the existing staffing levels of RTs and the models used to establish these levels.

Salicylate enhances the response of prostate cancer to radiotherapy.

Background: Radiotherapy (RT) is a key therapeutic modality for prostate cancer (PrCa), but RT resistance necessitates dose-escalation, often causing bladder and rectal toxicity. Aspirin, a prodrug of salicylate (SAL), has been associated with improved RT response in clinical PrCa cases, but the potential mechanism mediating this effect is unknown. SAL activates the metabolic stress sensor AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK), which inhibits de novo lipogenesis, and protein synthesis via inhibition of Acetyl-CoA Carboxylase (ACC), and the mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR), respectively.

Patterns of Practice in Canadian Radiation Treatment Centres: Results of a National Survey.

Purpose: Radiation therapy has changed rapidly over the past decade due to the application of technological advances. A survey was conducted of radiation treatment centres in Canada to establish current patterns of practice across the country. Areas of inquiry included treatment techniques and image verification, as well as roles and responsibilities of radiation therapists (RTs).

Virtually Certified: Development of an Online Oral Examination Phase for a National Advanced Practice Certification Model for Radiation Therapists in Canada.

Following development of a framework to establish the scope of advanced practice for radiation therapists (APRTs), a Canadian certification process was built. This involved three independently-assessed phases: professional portfolio, case submission, and oral examination. The oral examination was to test the candidate's knowledge and capacity for decision-making.

12-hour Shifts for Radiation Therapists.

Background: In Canada, Radiation Therapy program hours have ranged between 8 and 10 hours a day. Some centres have an option of a 4-day, 10-hour-day workweek. In 2012, Cancer Care Ontario released their Radiation Treatment Capital Investment Strategy.

Preferences in Learning Styles and Modes of Information Delivery in Patients Receiving First-Day Education for Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: The primary objective of this study was to determine levels of patient satisfaction with current first-day teaching practices at a large, academic Canadian Radiation Therapy Department. A secondary objective was to investigate patient preferences in learning styles and modes of information delivery.

Methods: A literature review was conducted on learning styles, modes of information delivery, and patient education in radiation therapy.

Letter in response to 'The role of research for advanced practitioners'.

This letter to the Editor is in response to the paper 'Conceptualisation of the characteristics advanced practitioners in the medical radiation professions' by Smith et al. and the subsequent letter from Jenny Sim. The writers agree that research should be explicitly listed in the conceptual model of advanced practice, and provide some evidence and viewpoints from over a decade of advanced practice work in Canada.

Staffing Model for Radiation Therapists in Ontario.

Purpose: The Cancer Care Ontario's (CCO) Radiation Program Leadership tasked the Radiation Therapy Professional Advisory Committee (RTPAC) to develop a radiation therapist (RT) staffing model to support current radiation therapy practice.

Background: A 1999 RT staffing model was outdated. Limitations included: (1) the inability to keep pace with advanced treatment planning and/or delivery techniques, (2) the exclusion of staffing for brachytherapy and orthovoltage, and (3) the omission of vital patient safety activities that are required to support clinical practices.

Management of patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators and pacemakers who require radiation therapy.

Background: Radiation therapy (RT) may pose acute and long-term risks for patients with cardiac implantable electronic devices (CIEDs), including pacemakers (PMs) and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs). However, the frequency of these problems has not been accurately defined.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of CIEDs among patients requiring RT and report the common CIED-related problems when patients are managed according to a standard clinical care path.

A Qualitative Comparison to Understand the Differences between Perceptions and Reality of Errors in Radiation Therapy: An Understanding Based on Principles of Perception Psychology.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to qualitatively, compare, and understand why perceptions of errors in radiation therapy differ from actual reported errors.

Methods: The qualitative study consisted of one-on-one semi-structured interviews that were conducted with three radiation therapists and two medical physicists. Eight interview questions were based on the discrepancies that existed between perceptions and actual error reports from a survey administered in 2010.

A Comparison of Perceptual and Reported Errors in Radiation Therapy.

Purpose: The aims of this study are to investigate error perceptions in radiation therapy (RT), to analyze 13 years of reported errors by type and location, and to identify the similarities and differences between perceptual and reported errors.

Method: Close-ended surveys were distributed to radiation therapists, RT students, medical physicists, and medical physicist residents at a large cancer centre. Two areas of relevance were: (1) to select the five most common categories of errors in radiation therapy and (2) to rank the many different stages where errors can be made in radiation therapy.

Measuring quality of work-life: a participatory approach in a Canadian cancer center.

Background: Quality of work-life (QWL) has been gaining increasing attention in health care settings. To our knowledge, no QWL data for cancer centers have been published.

Methods: A participatory approach was used to develop a QWL survey that was administered to staff in Year 1 (Y1) and Year 2 (Y2) in a Canadian ambulatory cancer center.