Patient’s perceptions of the skills and competencies required by therapeutic radiographers (TRs) across Europe : a cross sectional survey.

Abstract

Purpose: Variation in training and education of therapeutic radiographers (TRs) across Europe leads to differences in roles and staff autonomy in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to gain insight into patients’ perceptions of the skills and competencies of TRs to help inform undergraduate curricula across Europe. Methods or Background: Ethical permission was sought and obtained from Ulster University, Belfast, UK. An electronic survey was performed using Qualtrics® and a hard copy questionnaire was distribution to radiotherapy patients across the UK, Portugal, Malta, and Poland. Patients >18 years currently receiving, or who had received radiotherapy within the last 24 months, were included. Data analysis was performed with the aid of SPSS version 27. Results or Findings: Data collection was ongoing until December 2021. Preliminary results from the UK and Portugal show that 331 survey responses have been collected from patients who have received radiotherapy both pre and post the COVID-19 pandemic. The vast majority of patients felt TRs had the required competencies to listen, understand and communicate compassionately. Conflicting opinions arose over whether patients wanted staff to ask them about their life and be more aware of them 'as a person'. Conclusion: Patients perceive the TR more in terms of their personal attributes rather than their professional competencies. While they may not always remember specific details of what the TRs do with/to them, they tend to remember and focus on how TRs made them feel. Limitations: Not all European countries were involved in this study, hence, the findings may not represent the breadth of patient experiences throughout Europe. Further research could be conducted internationally. Ethics committee approval: Integrated Research Applications System: 277006 REC reference: 20/YH/038; Institute of Nursing Health Research Ethics Committee UU, Ref No: FCNUR-20-035 Funding for this study: ERASMUS+ funded this pro