Radiation Therapists' Experiences with Complementary Alternative Medicine Use by their Patients: A Preliminary Study

Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasingly popular among patients receiving radiation therapy. However, there is little empirical evidence relating to the interactions of radiation therapists and their patients regarding the use of CAM during treatment. The study objectives were to quantify how often the issue of CAM use arises in the therapists' daily practice, to explore radiation therapists' knowledge and attitudes about CAM use by their patients, and to identify areas for future education and development for therapists. This article describes a two-centre survey conducted at the Vancouver Cancer Centre in British Columbia and Princess Margaret Hospital in Ontario. The survey used an email survey instrument, "SurveyMonkey," which was emailed to all therapists working at both centres (n = 230). The survey had a 5-point Likert scale ranging from "strongly disagree" to "strongly agree." There were also associated open-ended questions to allow for individual comments. The total response rate from the two centres was 49%. Results indicated that the topic of CAM does arise, although the frequency of interaction between patient and therapist varies between centres. Therapists reported feeling comfortable with their knowledge of 3 from a list of 27 common CAM therapies. They would recommend/support their patients' use of 11 CAM therapies in total. Therapists and patients use a variety of information sources about CAM, but would welcome more information/education in this area. Overall, therapists felt that the radiation oncologist was the most appropriate person to discuss the use of CAM with patients. Radiation therapists need more information about CAM in the form of continuing education to meet the needs of their patients. Further research is warranted, as this is a very preliminary look at a large and somewhat controversial topic.