Practice Innovations
95% of breast cancer patients who undergo radiation therapy experience acute radiation dermatitis and 33% of post-mastectomy radiotherapy patients experience severe dermatitis including burn wounds1. Fortunately, level 1 evidence has emerged2-4 on the uniquely protective impact of a silicone film*, if applied prior to the first treatment and monitored and maintained through all treatment weeks. Resource constraints and lack of education hinder patient access to the application of the film. This initiative aimed to address that challenge.
Methods:
A multi-national team of radiation oncologists and wound clinicians, each with direct experience of film usage, shared their experiences with optimization of film use across patients of various body types and healthcare systems. This resulted in a step-by-step guide that was used as a script. Then, using a patient volunteer, two videos were created to visually demonstrate and describe appropriate application of the film: (1) one directed towards wound clinicians without prior experience of this application, and (2) the other to patients and their caregivers who would apply the film at home, without clinician assistance. The multi-national team reviewed the videos and will be monitoring impact on their patient population, where possible.
Results: The resulting step-by-step videos are now freely available for online access (YouTube) and are being widely distributed in some countries (e.g. Canada). Efforts towards translation are ongoing. Societies (e.g. Canadian Cancer Society) have contributed to distribution efforts. Initial feedback from patients has been positive, and a trend in reducing clinician face-to-face time with the patient regarding film application has been observed.
Discussion: Women experiencing breast cancer frequently seek out opportunities to empower themselves during the treatment process. Strategic educational initiatives, leveraging widespread general access to video platforms, can be an effective empowerment vehicle for patients and wound clinicians. These initiatives should be supported by strong clinical evidence and direct clinical experience.