Evaluation of an educational video to improve the understanding of radiotherapy side effects in head and neck cancer patients

Wilfredo Alejandro González-Arriagada, Marco Aurélio Carvalho De Andrade, Lara Maria Alencar Ramos, Jose Ribamar Sabino Bezerra, Alan Roger Santos-Silva, Marcio Ajudarte Lopes*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

17 Scopus citations

Abstract

Purpose: Side effects of head and neck radiotherapy are common and can interfere with treatment. However, scientific information on a patient's understanding of these complications is scarce and confusing. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of an educational video on improving the understanding of head and neck cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy about treatment complications. Methods: A 6-min video about head and neck radiotherapy side effects was produced by a multidisciplinary oncology team. A controlled clinical study was performed with two groups: the control group (N = 19), which received verbal information, and the video group (N = 19), which received verbal information and watched the video. Two questionnaires were given to both groups, one before the beginning of radiotherapy and the other after finishing radiotherapy. Results: Thirty-eight patients were included in the study (mean age of 59.7 years in the video group and 57.9 in the control group). Thirty-one patients had an education level less than high school education. All patients of the video group answered correctly why they were undergoing radiotherapy. On the other hand, three patients of the control group did not know the reason for the treatment. More patients of the video group demonstrated better knowledge about radiotherapy side effects than patients of the control group. Only one patient of the video group had doubts about the treatment, compared to seven of the control group. Conclusions: The present study showed that an educational video may improve patient understanding of head and neck radiotherapy and its side effects despite their education level.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2007-2015
Number of pages9
JournalSupportive Care in Cancer
Volume21
Issue number7
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2013
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

© MEDLINE® is the source for the MeSH terms of this document.

Keywords

  • Education
  • Head and neck cancer
  • Patient
  • Radiotherapy
  • Understanding
  • Video

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Evaluation of an educational video to improve the understanding of radiotherapy side effects in head and neck cancer patients'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this