Prospective evaluation of patient satisfaction after the use of brachytherapy specific educational materials for cervical cancer

Abstract Background Cervical cancer patients are faced with an enormous amount of medical information in a complex oncology field with sophisticated treatments including brachytherapy. We investigated the use of enhanced vs. standard brachytherapy–specific educational materials on patient-reported satisfaction during the informed consent process for intracavitary high-dose-rate brachytherapy. Methods and Materials A single-institution, prospective, randomized trial was performed to study patient-reported satisfaction with novel educational materials for high-dose-rate brachytherapy in women undergoing definitive radiation for cervical cancer. Results Fourteen women receiving informed consent with a customized educational booklet were randomized between no further intervention and take-home educational materials. The weighted average for 10 of 11 survey questions was higher in the intervention arm but ranged between 4 (agree) and 5 (strongly agree) for all questions in both arms. The mean weighted patient satisfaction scores ± standard deviations in the control arm and the intervention arms were 54.3 ± 6.4 and 57.5 ± 2.7, respectively ( p = 0.26). Conclusions Knowledge acquisition is presumed to be part of the coping process for women facing increased stress during a cancer diagnosis. A brachytherapy-specific, visual, patient-educational booklet and take-home materials used to supplement the informed consent process for high-dose-rate brachytherapy resulted in high levels of patient-reported satisfaction among women treated with cervical cancer.