Awareness of radiotherapy and its side effects among cancer patients admitted at oncology unit, Teaching Hospital Batticaloa

Abstract

Radiotherapy is the chief non surgical method to control malignant tumors, being used in roughly 50% of patients. This study aimed to assess the awareness of radiotherapy and its side effects among cancer patients admitted to the oncology unit, at Teaching Hospital Batticaloa. A descriptive study was carried out to assess the awareness of radiotherapy and its side effects among 74 cancer patients admitted at the Oncology unit, Teaching Hospital Batticaloa. A complete enumeration method was used to recruit participants. After obtaining informed consent, data were collected through a pilot tested validated interviewer administered questionnaire. Statistical Package of Social Sciences 26 was used to analyze the data. 56.8% of the respondents had a very good awareness level of radiotherapy and there were 4.1% of respondents in the very poor level of awareness category. only 1.4% of the respondents had a very good awareness level and 58.1% of the respondents had a very poor awareness level of side effects of radiotherapy. Among socio demographic factors, only educational level(p=0.001) was found to have a significant association with an awareness level of radiotherapy and age(p=0.021), educational level(p=0.044) was found to have a significant association with an awareness level of side effects of radiotherapy. 59.5% of the respondents received prior information about radiotherapy and 39.2% of the respondents received prior information about side effects of radiother apy. 43.2% of the respondents received information regarding radiotherapy and 27% of the respondents received information regarding side effects via doctors. Among sources of information, doctors (0= and nurses (p= were found to have a significant association with an awareness level of radiotherapy and doctors (p= nurses (p= family and relatives (p= cancer patients (p= and media (p= were found to have a significant association with an awareness level of side effects of radiotherapy. Based on Findings reveal that more than half of the respondents had a very good level of awareness of radiotherapy and more than half of the respondents had a very low level of awareness of the side effects of radiotherapy. Doctors had a major role in providing information to the patients.