Wound dressings during cancer radiotherapy : a survey of Canadian practice

Patients who undergo radiotherapy typically experience changes to the skin in the area where the treatment is administered. Some discussions exist whether radiating through wound dressings will cause a boost effect to patients with cancer. The purpose of the thesis is to describe the current evidence and practice through literature review and a national environmental scan with the aim of developing the foundation for further research. After Research Ethics Boards approvals, one nurse per 34 Radiation Oncology Centres in Canada was contacted. Current practice survey data were collected from 18 Centres. Telephone interviews were conducted with four nurse participants to understand the context of nursing practice environment. Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics for the survey data and thematic analysis for the interviews. The integrative results of the study were reviewed with five inter-professional experts. The study results are used to make recommendations for research, practice, leadership and policy.