The distress associated with cranial irradiation: a comparison of patient and nurse perceptions

Distress associated with attendance at a radiotherapy treatment center for cranial radiotherapy was assessed in 10 consecutive patients using a method first employed by Munro et al. (1). This involved using a series of cards, each with a potential side effect of radiotherapy printed on it. The subjects were asked to highlight which side effects were a problem to them. The same method was used to determine the perceptions of nurses caring for patients receiving cranial radiotherapy, and the results were compared. This preliminary study suggests that the patient group found the physical side effects of their treatment most distressing, with "tiredness" and "hair loss" predominating. The nurse group had a tendency to overestimate the amount of side effects experienced by patients. They were able to choose quite successfully many of the more distressing side effects mentioned by the patient group. The study indicates the need for further research into the specific problems of patients undergoing cranial radiotherapy.