“It is important to answer patients’ questions individually since this will influence how the patients cope with their new life situation, says Mariette Abrahamsson, Master of Public Health at NHV.
The study is based on interviews with 10 informants with various cancer diagnoses.
“The feeling of uncertainty can be turned into security, comprehension and a sense of coping through information,” says Mariette, radiation therapist at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway.
“It is important for the patients to be able to talk to someone, like a physician, who can answer questions,” she continues.
The patients gave the impression that they valued an informational video that was produced at Stavanger University Hospital. Several highlighted the advantage that the film could be seen repeatedly and that it was local to their hospital where they received treatment.
The film made the patients feel secure and calm because they knew what they were facing. In addition to practical information related to treatment, the patients wanted information about their own cancer diagnosis and specific side effects.
Title: Information during radiation therapy: what cancer patients need and how they process information during radiation therapy
Author: Mariette Abrahamsson, radiation therapist, Stavanger University Hospital
Supervisor: Associate Professor/ DrPH Ina Borup, NHV
External supervisor: Physicist /PhD Mari Helene Blihovde Hjelstuen, Stavanger University Hospital, Norway
The MPH thesis can be ordered via: kirsi.gomes@nhv.se
Read: www.nhv.se/marietteabrahamssoneng
