Informational Needs in Women Undergoing Multifraction High Dose-Rate Brachytherapy for Cervical Cancer: A Prospective Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective : To identify the informational needs of Moroccan women receiving intracavitary brachytherapy for locally advanced cervical cancer as part of a process to develop guidelines for quality patient-centered care. Methodology : A prospective, qualitative study with a phenomenological approach was carried out at the Brachytherapy unit of the National Institute of Oncology in Rabat, Morocco. Purposive sampling was used to recruit 31 patients undergoing high dose-rate brachytherapy for cervical cancer from July 2020 to August 2020. Semi-structured, one-to-one interviews were conducted by a female radiation oncologist in Arabic, guided by a theme list. The interviews were translated and a thematic analysis was performed. Results : Data saturation was achieved having interview ing 31 participants, aged 27 - 70 years. Findings on patients’ informational needs were the overarching theme and form the focus of this article. The informational needs included: providing patients with disease- and treatment-related information in their home language; adequate information concerning pre-treatment preparation, possible side-effects , and sexual intercourse; and providing patients with informative material adapted to their needs as standard procedure. Conclusion : This study has identified unmet women’s informational needs during brachytherapy for cervical cancer. Providing patients with sufficient and understandable information, adequate preparation before the procedure, more sensitive support during the procedure , and debriefing afterward could lessen feelings of fear and anxiety towards treatment delivery. Guidelines with a patient-centered approach could thus be developed to be used as a tool to assist members of multidisciplinary teams in providing quality care to this group of women.