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INTRODUCTION: Occupational stress and burnout are well-recognised experiences reported by cancer care workers. The aim was to describe the frequency and severity of potential stressors as well as the effectiveness of coping skills of radiation therapists (RTs) and oncology nurses (ONs), which make up the two largest occupational groups in cancer care. METHODS: A questionnaire was distributed to RTs and ONs in two large tertiary hospitals in Queensland. Descriptive data regarding severity of potential stressors at home and work as well as the perceived effectiveness of preferred coping styles for each stressor was compared for each professional group. Respondents were asked questions about their personal circumstances and to also complete five standardised questionnaires measuring resilience, mental well-being, depression, anxiety and burnout. RESULTS: There were 71 respondents representing a response rate of 26%. The types of stressors differed between the two groups but both reported that heavy workload was the most severe workplace stressor. RTs reported higher stressor and coping strategy frequency than ONs. There were no identifiable differences between RTs and ONs in the types or effectiveness of coping strategies employed at home or work. Mental well-being for both groups was inversely correlated with depression, anxiety and burnout and positively correlated with resilience. CONCLUSIONS: RTs experienced higher mean scores for stressors and coping than ONs. There were no significant between-group differences for anxiety, depression, burnout, mental well-being or resilience.
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PURPOSE: Highly complex planning techniques and delivery methods in the treatment of head and neck cancer require an advanced level of accuracy and reproducibility. AIM: To determine if the addition of tattoos placed on the chest inferior to the CIVCO Vac-Lok stabilization system improves accuracy and reproducibility of patient set up. METHODS: Eighteen patients with head and neck cancer were studied. Nine underwent radical treatment using the routine CIVCO stabilization system. The second group of nine used the same stabilization device but were positioned daily with the use of tattoos. Daily orthogonal kilovoltage setup images were used to calculate setup errors. Displacements in the left/right (Lt/Rt), superior/inferior (Sup/Inf), and anterior/posterior (Ant/Post) directions were determined as well as pitch and yaw rotational errors. RESULTS: Five hundred and twenty-three image pairs were analysed. Clinically significant differences were found in yaw error, Lt/Rt displacement, and Sup/Inf displacement in the tattooed patients. The median (interquartile range) absolute yaw error was larger for patients without tattoos: 1.4° (1.4° to 2.1°) compared to 0.8° (0.8° to 1.4°) for patients with tattoos. The percentage of both Sup/Inf and Lt/Rt errors >3 mm was also greater for patients without tattoos: 23.7% of Sup/Inf errors were >3 mm compared with 17.3% for patients with tattoos, and 22.3% of Lt/Rt errors were >3 mm compared with 10.0% for patients with tattoos. CONCLUSION: The addition of chest tattoos resulted in clinically relevant improvements in Lt/Rt and Sup/Inf translational displacements and variations in yaw for head and neck cancer patients.
