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Owner perceptions of radiotherapy treatment for veterinary patients with cancer
Author(s) -
Smith Patrick A. D.,
Burnside Shona,
Helm Jenny R.,
Morris Joanna S.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
veterinary and comparative oncology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.864
H-Index - 34
eISSN - 1476-5829
pISSN - 1476-5810
DOI - 10.1111/vco.12454
Subject(s) - radiation therapy , medicine , quality of life (healthcare) , anxiety , prospective cohort study , surgery , nursing , psychiatry
Veterinary clients may have trepidation about treating their pet with radiotherapy because of concerns about radiation side effects or repeated anaesthetics. The purpose of this study is to assess whether owners' attitudes towards veterinary radiotherapy, including concerns over side effects, change during the course of treatment, and whether radiotherapy was perceived to affect pets' quality of life (QOL). A prospective cohort study of clients from 2012 to 2015 was performed. Pets received palliative or definitive radiotherapy for various tumours. Clients completed questionnaires before, during and after radiotherapy. Questions assessed owner preconceptions before treatment, including side effect expectations, actual side effects experienced and overall satisfaction with the process. In addition, at each time point, the owners assessed their pet's QOL using a simple numerical scale. Forty‐nine patients were included. After completing treatment, owners were significantly less concerned about potential side effects of radiotherapy ( P < 0.001), side effects associated with repeat anaesthetics ( P < 0.001), and about radiotherapy in general ( P < 0.001). QOL did not show a significant change at any point during or after treatment. Following treatment, 94% reported that the experience was better than expected and 100% supported the use of radiotherapy in pets. This is the first prospective study evaluating client attitudes and satisfaction before and after radiotherapy treatment in pets. The results indicate that radiotherapy is well tolerated, and the anxiety associated with radiotherapy is significantly alleviated after experiencing the process. These results will help veterinarians allay client concerns, and will hopefully lead to an increase in clients pursuing radiotherapy in pets.