Sensitizing radiation therapists to the psychological needs of cancer patients.

Radiation therapists are trained to focus on physiological and medical aspects of administering radiation therapy to cancer patients. They often ignore patients' psychological needs because they are inadequately prepared to understand and intervene in this area of patient care. We sought to remedy this educational gap by using a generic crisis-intervention training program as a method of sensitizing radiation therapists to the emotional and psychological concerns and problems of patients undergoing radiation therapy.