Answering cancer patients' questions individually will help them master the situation

Small details in the information and how the information is communicated are important to cancer patients. The patients experience lack of knowledge about their illness and the radiotherapy. The situation is cause for strong emotions, but with customized information it can be changed to an ability to master the situation. This is demonstrated in radiation therapist Mariette Abrahamsson's master's thesis at the Nordic School of Public Health (NHV).

"It is important to answer patients' questions individually since this will influence how the patients cope with their new life situation, says Mariette Abrahamsson, Master of Public Health at NHV.
The study is based on interviews with 10 informants with various cancer diagnoses.
"The feeling of uncertainty can be turned into security, comprehension and a sense of coping through information," says Mariette, radiation therapist at Stavanger University Hospital, Norway.
"It is important for the patients to be able to talk to someone, like a physician, who can answer questions."
The patients gave the impression that they valued an informational video that was produced at Stavanger University Hospital. Several highlighted the advantage that the film could be seen repeatedly and that it was local to their hospital where they received treatment.
The film made the patients feel secure and calm because they knew what they were facing. In addition to practical information related to treatment, the patients wanted information about their own cancer diagnosis and specific side effects.