Helping Providers Help Their Patients: Using the Radiation Therapy Fact Sheets To order free copies of this booklet, please call 1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER).
These fact sheets help your patients learn about radiation
therapy and ways to manage its side effects. They are
designed to support discussions between you and your
patient.
The 11 fact sheets offer practical tips that may enhance
your patients' understanding and management of self-care at
home. Nine of the fact sheets describe common side effects
of radiation therapy. The other two describe two types of
radiation therapy.
Easy-to-understand language, engaging quotes, photographs,
and questions can help your patients understand and
actively participate in their care. The general information
in these fact sheets is intended to complement your
patients' individualized consultation with you, their
health care provider.
See below for a list of available
topics and ordering
information.
To help your patients
learn more about
radiation therapy and
its side effects, you may
also order NCI's booklet,
"Radiation Therapy
and You."
Here is what other providers have said about
these fact sheets:
"The idea of being able to give an easy-to-understand
take-home is a good idea because people
retain so little of what is said to them during an
anxiety-producing experience." |
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"I could see us using these with all of our
patients - good readers and people who aren't good
readers alike. They are also ideal for patients to
read ahead of time in the waiting room." |
|
" I like these sheets because they provide
talking points for us to use when we speak
with patients. The fact sheets also help us
make sure we aren't forgetting something." |
|
"The fact sheets help make the experience
more personal and encourage patients to ask
questions. Often patients don't want to bring
up embarrassing issues, and I think the
quotes encourage patients to be more open." |
Research shows that early side-effect management and
pretreatment information may help decrease patients' fears
and anxiety and increase understanding of treatment.*
* Hofman, et al. 2004. Cancer patients' expectations of experiencing
treatment-related side effects. Cancer. 101(4):851-857.
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Hand out the relevant fact sheets to your patient.
Talk about the information on the fact sheet while the
patient is in your office.
- Discussing these fact sheets during an office visit can
increase the patient's likelihood of reading and using
them at home.
- When patients understand what to expect during
treatment and the actions to take, they will have less
anxiety about side effects.
- The fact sheets can be given to patients in the waiting
room, at the beginning of the visit, or during the
discussion of radiation therapy and its side effects.
- Highlight or circle important information and
action steps.
Use a highlighter or a colored pen to draw attention to
key information and action steps on each fact sheet.
- This simple act can increase your patient's adherence
to the actions you would like him or her to take.
- Use the teach-back technique.
For important behaviors and information, ask your
patients to share in their own words what they learn.
- Confirming patient understanding through the
teach-back technique has been shown to improve
patient recall and comprehension.
- Applying the teach-back technique during the patient
consult can help avoid misunderstanding. It can also
reduce the time spent educating patients during
subsequent visits.
Diarrhea
What To Do When You Have
Loose Stools (Diarrhea)
Fatigue
What To Do When You Feel
Weak or Tired (Fatigue)
Hair Loss
What To Do About Hair Loss
(Alopecia)
Mouth or Throat Pain
What To Do When Your
Mouth or Throat Hurts
Nausea and Vomiting
What To Do About Feeling Sick to
Your Stomach and Throwing Up
(Nausea and Vomiting)
Sexuality and Fertility (Men)
What Men Can Do About Changes
in Sexuality and Fertility
Sexuality and Fertility (Women)
What Women Can Do About
Changes in Sexuality and Fertility
Skin Problems
What To Do About Mild
Skin Changes
Urination Problems
What To Do About Changes
When You Urinate
Brachytherapy
What To Know About
Brachytherapy (A Type of
Internal Radiation Therapy)
External Beam Radiation Therapy
What To Know About External
Beam Radiation Therapy
NOTE: Product or brand names that appear
in these fact sheets are for example only.
The U.S. Government does not endorse
any specific product or brand. If products
or brands are not mentioned, it does not
mean or imply that they are not satisfactory.
Order the Radiation Therapy
and Side Effects Fact Sheets
in tear-off pads of 50 sheets
or as single copies.
- Please order by title.
- Call the National Cancer Institute's Cancer Information Service at 1-800-422-6237 (1-800-4-CANCER).
- Or visit us online at www.cancer.gov/publications.
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