Waiting times for radiotherapy--a survey of patients' attitudes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

To determine the maximum time cancer patients were willing to wait for radiotherapy.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Using a trade-off technique (TOT) the maximum time patients were prepared to wait for treatment at the centre closest to home before electing to transfer their care to a centre located (1) at a distance necessitating an extra 30 min travelling each day (MWT 1) or (2) at a distance necessitating staying away from home for the duration of therapy (MWT 2) was determined. A TOT was utilised to determine the loss in treatment effectiveness (LIE 1, LIE 2) patients were willing to accept as a consequence of their MWT 1 and MWT 2 choices.

RESULTS

The median MWT 1 was 4 weeks while the median MWT 2 was 8 weeks. A longer MWT 1 was associated with increasing patient age and a problem with travelling an extra 30 min. Symptomatic patients were less likely to accept a longer MWT 1. The MWT 2 increased as the expected duration of treatment increased but patients in regional areas were less likely to accept a longer MWT 2. The majority of patients indicated that they were unwilling to accept any loss in treatment effectiveness. Patients who had a problem with travelling an extra 30 min daily or who were unable to drive were willing to accept a loss in treatment effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides an estimate of the waiting times cancer patients are prepared to accept for radiation therapy and suggests that cancer patients are unlikely to trade-off effectiveness for convenience.