AIMS
To determine whether a unique Patient Care Radiation Therapist (PCRT) role can improve the patient care experience and unite other health professionals in ensuring optimal patient care.
METHODS
The PCRT role was implemented in September 2019 as a new model of Radiation Therapy (RT) driven patient care. A PCRT is assigned to each treatment and planning team, and fosters effective communication across the wider multidisciplinary team. To determine if the PCRT could streamline the patient care experience earlier, a research team was established and a project initiated. The project consisted of a staff perception survey and an observational study to identify current and future patient care pathways.
RESULTS
The response rate to the survey was 55%, with representation from all craft groups. Eight themes emerged from the analysis of qualitative data submitted in the staff survey, and included Effective Communication, Patient Centered Care, Role Delineation, Collaboration, Personalised Care, Role Expansion, Information Provision and Time Constraints.
The observational study determined that patient care pathways would benefit from PCRTs being involved in new patient clinics, multidisciplinary team meetings and clinical meetings.
CONCLUSION
A patient’s cancer care journey can be complex and difficult to navigate, with the rapid advancement of treatment techniques and processes being more onerous for patient compliance. By identifying gaps in our current cancer services, we can identify how a PCRTs unique technical knowledge and skills, combined with their patient care skills, can be utilised earlier in the RT care pathway to improve the patient care experience while working collaboratively with all craft groups.