Asada Hiromi, Takahashi Yoshimitsu, Ono Yuka, Kishi Noriko, Matsuo Yukinori, Mizowaki Takashi, Nakayama Takeo
Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Kyoto, 606-8501, Japan.
Department of Radiation Oncology and Image-Applied Therapy, Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Patient Prefer Adherence. 2022 May 26;16:1359-1369. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S361916. eCollection 2022.
Patients undergoing radiotherapy often have their skin marked. Previous studies on skin markings examined the durability and physical effects of the markings, but no study has focused on patients' emotional experiences toward the markings. This study aimed to clarify how patients undergoing radiotherapy feel about skin markings, as well as factors that affect patients' emotional experiences.
We conducted a cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire and medical records. Participants were patients aged ≥20 years undergoing cancer radiotherapy at a designated cancer care hospital. The primary outcome was the level of uncomfortable emotions toward skin markings, and the secondary outcome was the level of favorable ratings on skin markings. To examine factors related to uncomfortable emotions, ordinal logistic regression analysis was performed.
Questionnaire forms were distributed to 153 patients, and responses were collected from 132 (86%). Among 108 patients included in the analysis, 56% (59/105, excluding 3 who did not answer this question) responded that they were uncomfortable with skin markings. The proportion of patients who favorably rated skin markings was 63% (59/93, excluding 15 who did not answer this question). No factors were significantly associated with the primary outcome.
Many patients accepted skin markings with resignation, as they understood the necessity of the markings in their treatment. Medical staff should understand the emotional experiences of patients toward skin markings and take sufficient care to ensure that they are provided with explanations, including the impact of skin markings on their daily lives, as well as a sense of security that treatment is being performed in a precise manner.
接受放射治疗的患者通常会在皮肤上做标记。以往关于皮肤标记的研究主要考察标记的耐久性和物理影响，但尚无研究关注患者对标记的情感体验。本研究旨在阐明接受放射治疗的患者对皮肤标记的感受，以及影响患者情感体验的因素。
我们采用自填式问卷和病历进行了一项横断面研究。参与者为在指定癌症护理医院接受癌症放射治疗的年龄≥20岁的患者。主要结局是对皮肤标记的不适情绪水平，次要结局是对皮肤标记的好评率。为了研究与不适情绪相关的因素，进行了有序逻辑回归分析。
向153名患者发放了问卷，回收了132份（86%）。在纳入分析的108名患者中，56%（59/105，排除3名未回答该问题的患者）表示对皮肤标记感到不适。对皮肤标记给予好评的患者比例为63%（59/93，排除15名未回答该问题的患者）。没有因素与主要结局显著相关。
许多患者无奈地接受了皮肤标记，因为他们明白标记在治疗中的必要性。医务人员应了解患者对皮肤标记的情感体验，并充分注意为他们提供解释，包括皮肤标记对其日常生活的影响，以及治疗正在精确进行的安全感。
