Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-7cvxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-28T20:22:25.948Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Covert observation to find if patient hospital clothing saves radiotherapy treatment room time, and the issue of a questionnaire to find if this is detrimental to patients’ experience of radiotherapy

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 April 2013

M. Farnan  and
C. Blyth
M. Farnan*
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh, Edinburgh, UK
C. Blyth
Affiliation:
School of Health Sciences, Queen Margaret University, Musselburgh, Edinburgh, UK
*
Correspondence to: Malcolm Farnan, Department of Radiotherapy, Ninewells Hospital, Dundee DD1 9SY, UK. Tel: +01382 496533. E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Radiotherapy departments are having to work more efficiently to cope with increasing demand for radiotherapy resources. Radiotherapy treatment room efficiency may be increased by the introduction of hospital clothing as this negates the need for patient changing in the treatment room. However, studies have shown that hospital clothing can have a negative effect on patient dignity. It is therefore important to balance potential time saving with any detriment to patients.

Purpose

This study examined the effect that hospital clothing had on the time patients spend in the treatment room and aimed to identify patients’ opinions of the clothing.

Materials and methods

Potential time saving was determined by covertly timing patients currently undergoing radiotherapy treatment as they entered and exited the treatment room. A total of 348 patients were timed in their own clothing and 341 were timed when they wore hospital clothing. The timings of these two groups were compared to determine whether hospital clothing saved treatment unit time. Patient opinions of the clothing were examined by issuing a short questionnaire, designed to gather ordinal data, at the end of their course of treatment. Questionnaires were issued only to patients who had worn hospital clothing in the radiotherapy department.

Results

Introducing hospital clothing saved a significant amount of treatment room time and patients were generally positive about wearing the clothing.

Conclusion

It is suggested that hospital clothing is a welcome addition to the radiotherapy department to increase efficiency without detriment to patients.

Keywords

covert observationdignityefficiencyhospital clothingpatient clothingquestionnaire
Type
Original Articles
Information
Journal of Radiotherapy in Practice , Volume 12 , Issue 4 , December 2013 , pp. 286 - 296
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2013 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Mackillop, W J. Killing time: the consequences of delays in radiotherapy. Radiother Oncol 2007; 84: 1–4.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2.Jensen, A R, Nellemann, H M, Overgaard, J. Tumour progression in waiting time for radiotherapy in head and neck cancer. Radiother Oncol 2007; 84: 5–10.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3.Robinson, D, Massey, T, Davies, E, Jack, R H, Sehgal, A, Moller, H. Waiting times for radiotherapy: variation over time and between cancer networks in southeast England. Br J Cancer 2005; 92: 1201–1208.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
4.Drinkwater, K J, Williams, M V. Re-Audit of Radiotherapy Waiting Times in the United Kingdom, 2007. London: Royal College of Radiologists, 2007.Google Scholar
5.Chen, Z, King, W, Pearcey, R, Kerba, M, Mackillop, W J. The relationship between waiting time for radiotherapy and clinical outcomes: a systematic review of the literature. Radiother Oncol 2008; 87: 3–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Barbera, L, Jackson, L D, Schulze, Ket al. Performance of different radiotherapy workload models. Int J Radiat Oncol 2003; 55 (4): 1143–1149.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
7.Probst, H, Griffiths, S. Increasing the work speed of radiographers: the effect on the accuracy of a set-up on a complex shaped cranial field, part of a matched cranio spinal junction. Radiother Oncol 1996; 38: 241–245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8.Nardone, D, James, K, Finck, D. Impact of gowning on visit length and physical examinations. J Gen Intern Med 1998; 13 (7): 489–490.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9.Topo, P, Iltanen-Tahkavuori, S. Scripting patienthood with patient clothing. Soc Sci Med 2010; 70 (11): 1682–1689.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Baillie, L. Patient dignity in an acute hospital setting: a case study. Int J Nurs Stud 2009; 46 (1): 23–37.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
11.Edvardsson, D. Balancing between being a person and being a patient – a qualitative study of wearing patient clothing. Int J Nurs Stud 2009; 46 (1): 4–11.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12.Griffin-Heslin, V L. An analysis of the concept dignity. Accid Emerg Nurs 2005; 13: 251–257.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Van de Mortel, T, Murgo, M. An examination of covert observation and solution audit as tools to measure the success of hand hygiene interventions. Am J Infect Control 2006; 34 (3): 95–99.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
14.Goetzinger, J, Granado-Villar, D. Reporting capabilities and data extrapolation using an electronic hand hygiene system versus the traditional covert/secret shopper visual observation method. Am J Infect Control 2012; 40 (5): e107–e108.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
15.Matiti, R MTrorey, G. Perceptual adjustment levels: patients’ perception of their dignity in a hospital setting. Int J Nurs Stud 2004; 41: 735–744.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
16.Brokaw, J P, Walker, W C, Cifu, D X, Gardner, M. Sitting and standing tolerance in patients with chronic back pain: comparison between physician prediction and covert observation. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2004; 85 (5): 837–839.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17.Mandel, L H. Toward an understanding of library patron wayfinding: observing patrons’ entry routes in a public library. Libr Inform Sci Res 2010; 32 (2): 116–130.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18.Hansson, M, Wigblad, R. Recontextualizing the Hawthorne effect. Scand J Manage 2006; 22: 120–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
19.Halkett, G K B, Kristjanson, L J. Patients’ perspectives on the role of radiation therapists. Patient Educ Couns 2007; 69: 76–83.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Harris, R, Haas, A. The use of a breast gown during radiotherapy by women with carcinoma of the breast. Radiography 1997; 3: 287–291.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
21.McLean, M, Hodgson, D. Cancer patients’ perceptions of using a “breast gown”: a qualitative study. J Radiother Pract 2006; 5 (2): 97–107.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
22. Making your radiotherapy service more patient friendly, 2nd edition. London: The Royal College of Radiologists, 2007.Google Scholar