Palliative radiotherapy: what do nurses know?

Background: palliative radiotherapy can improve quality of life for patients who are symptomatic of advanced cancers. However, this treatment modality is underused and is often mistimed, which negates its potential benefit. Aim: the aim of this study was to assess nursing knowledge of palliative radiotherapy in the context of caring for patients with a cancer diagnosis. Methods: a quantitative method of research was employed using a questionnaire to assess palliative radiotherapy knowledge among a purposive sample of 162 oncology and palliative care nurses. Findings: the response rate was 48.14%. More than half of respondents reported their knowledge of radiotherapy as insufficient for their practice and almost all agreed they would benefit from more education. Conclusion: nurses require more training to identify when palliative radiotherapy would be an effective symptom control option; specific areas of focus for developing future radiotherapy educational programmes are highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]