Epworth Radiation Oncology Information for Patients Epworth Radiation Oncology Epworth HealthCare Excellence. Everywhere. Everyday
Contents Welcome to Epworth Radiation Oncology Page 3 What is Radiation Therapy? Page 3 A Team Approach to Care Page 4 Informed Financial Consent Page 5 Radiation Therapy: The Process Page 6 Planning Page 6 What to Bring Page 7 Treatment Page 8 Frequently Asked Questions Page 10 Location Maps Page 11 Contact Details Page 12
Welcome to Epworth Radiation Oncology Epworth HealthCare through Epworth Radiation Oncology provides high quality, technologically advanced Radiation Therapy using evidenced based techniques, while delivering exceptional patient care. Operating from Epworth Richmond and Epworth Freemasons, Epworth Radiation Oncology has a team of dedicated professionals who are passionate about providing you, your family and carers with the highest quality of service in a supportive and caring environment. We recognise all patients as individuals and aim to meet your specific needs, by respecting your customs, spiritual beliefs, values and dignity. This booklet has been created to provide you with information about our service, to help you understand how the department operates and what you can expect from us as your Radiation Oncology team. What is Radiation Therapy? Radiation Therapy is the use of radiation (x-rays) to damage cancer cells, whilst limiting the impact on surrounding healthy tissue. It is a painless treatment (similar to having an x-ray), that is localised and therefore only causes symptoms in the area being treated. Radiation Therapy can be delivered on its own, or in combination with other forms of treatment such as chemotherapy, hormone therapy and surgery. Radiation Therapy is usually undertaken as a daily outpatient service (Monday to Friday) over a number of days/weeks. Each course of Radiation Therapy is tailored to the individual person, as it is influenced by a number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to the site, stage and type of cancer, a person s age and general health. Radiation Therapy does not make you radioactive, and it is perfectly safe for you to be with other people, including children, throughout your treatment. Page 3
A Team Approach to Care The Epworth Radiation Oncology team consists of a combination of highly trained medical professionals, who work together to ensure you receive the best possible care. The team includes: Radiation Oncologists: A Radiation Oncologist is a doctor who prescribes Radiation Therapy treatments to all types of cancer, and oversees the management of care for their patients. During the course of treatment you will have progress reviews with the Doctor. Radiation Therapists: The Radiation Therapists are responsible for the planning and delivering of your daily radiation treatments. Radiation Oncology Nurses: The Radiation Oncology Nurses are experienced in all areas of symptom management and oncology nursing care. Within your first week of treatment, one of the nurses will discuss with you the potential side effects of your treatment, provide information and advice on looking after yourself during treatment and monitor your progress weekly. Administration Staff: Our friendly administration staff are available to answer any questions you may have relating to appointment booking, transport and accommodation, billing arrangements and claiming your Medicare rebates. Medical Physicists: Our Medical Physicists play an important role in quality assurance to ensure our radiation treatment machines are maintained according to regulatory standards and that our working environment abides by radiation safety policies. Page 4
Informed Financial Consent On the day of your Radiation Therapy planning appointment, you will have an opportunity to discuss the billing process with our billing clerk. You will receive an estimate of the total cost of the treatment and how much out of pocket expenses you are likely to incur. We highly recommend that you register with Medicare for the Medicare Safety Net so you can claim your rebates promptly. The Medicare Safety Net is a threshold designed to help those who have incurred high medical costs and enables you to claim 80% of your out of pocket fee once this threshold has been met. Your Medicare benefit can be paid into your nominated cheque or savings through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) so that your refund can be returned as quickly as possible. To register your bank account details and your Medicare Safety Net, call Medicare on 132 011 or go to www.medicareaustralia.gov.au Page 5
Radiation Therapy: The Process Radiation Therapy is a complex treatment that requires a number of appointments. Below is a flow chart of the appointments you will have during your Radiation Therapy. Initial Consultation Radiation Therapy Planning Radiation Therapy Treatment Follow Up Radiation Therapy Planning After the initial consultation with your Radiation Oncologist, your first visit to Epworth Radiation Oncology will be for your Radiation Therapy planning. Upon arrival, please check in at reception with our administration staff. On the day of this appointment, a Radiation Therapist will provide an explanation of this planning session, guide you through the procedures and answer any questions you may have. Please note: This appointment may require you to be in the department for a few hours. In order for your Radiation Therapy treatment to be tailored to your specific needs, you will undergo a non-diagnostic planning CT. Here, exact positioning methods are used to ensure treatment accuracy and reproducibility of treatment setup. You may require permanent and non-permanent marks to assist with this process. These marks are placed on your skin with your permission, close to the area that will be treated. The permanent marks are smaller than the size of a freckle. Page 6
Some people may require specially made masks to assist with staying still during treatment. Many other forms of simple devices can be made to help maintain the same position for daily treatment. Once you have left the department, your CT scan will be imported into our planning computers so a Radiation Therapist, along with your Radiation Oncologist, can create an individualised treatment plan for you. This process is complex, and requires some time to complete. Planning Appointment Date: Time: Please arrive minutes prior to your appointment time What to Bring to Your Planning Appointment: Bring this booklet, so we can document your Radiation Therapy treatment start date and time. Current Medicare card and/or DVA card. Completed Registration and Privacy Consent forms. Radiation Therapy Treatment Planning Appointment Date: Time: Please arrive minutes prior to your appointment time Page 7
Radiation Therapy Treatment When you arrive on the first day of your treatment, report to the reception desk with your appointment card and take a seat in the waiting room. A Radiation Therapist will discuss your treatment with you, providing an explanation of the process, what is required and what to expect prior to escorting you into the treatment area. You will be asked to change into a gown. This will assist the staff to access the treatment areas on your body, whilst maintaining your modesty. Once in the treatment room, you will be placed in the same position as you were for the planning session this takes about 5 minutes. Once you are positioned, you will need to stay still, relaxed and breathe normally during treatment. After positioning you accurately the Radiation Therapists will leave the room and you will be on your own while the machine and computers are programmed and treatment delivered. They will continue to monitor you on a closed circuit TV and there are microphones for communication if necessary. Once treatment commences, the treatment delivery may only take a few minutes. A member of our Nursing team will discuss your radiation treatment care with you, as well as address any needs or concerns that you may have regarding treatment. You are welcome to bring a family member, friend or carer with you. The Nurse will discuss and provide written information about the management of your skin and possible side-effects you may encounter as a result of your treatment. When you arrive each subsequent day for treatment, please check in with the Receptionist at the front desk and take a seat in the waiting room until invited through to the treatment area. We operate on an appointment system, and try to adhere to a precise timetable. If a machine breaks down, or if there are delays you will be informed as soon as possible. If you are worried that staff are unaware you are waiting, please speak to an administrative team member. Whilst attending for a course of Radiation Therapy you will have scheduled reviews with your Radiation Oncologist in the treatment department. Nursing staff will schedule weekly reviews with a Nurse to monitor your progress and assist with any problems related to your treatment. Page 8
Car Parking If you or your carer decide to drive in for treatment, we can offer you car parking. See the maps below for directions at Epworth Richmond and Epworth Freemasons. Please speak to one of our receptionists to find out more when you first arrive to the department. DVA Transport If you are a veteran or a war widow/widower, Department of Veterans Affairs may assist you with transport to and from our centre for your treatments. Please advise our administration staff as soon as possible of your transport requirements. Ambulance Transport If you have a medical need and are experiencing difficulty with private transportation we may be able to organise an ambulance to transport you to and from our centre for treatment. Please be aware that a fee might be applicable unless you have a Commonwealth Health Care Card, a Pension Card or Ambulance membership (Private Health Insurance is excluded). Follow Up Appointments In your final week of radiation therapy the administration staff will assist in organising a follow up appointment with your Radiation Oncologist. Patient Satisfaction survey Epworth Radiation Oncology will deliver a Patient Satisfaction Survey to you with a replied paid envelope on completion of treatment. We encourage your feedback on our overall service to you so that we can continually maintain and improve the quality of service we provide in all areas of our department. We would appreciate you spending the time to complete the survey. Page 9
Frequently Asked Questions Will I feel anything? You will not feel any discomfort whilst treatment is taking place the machine makes a noise but you feel and see nothing. How will Radiation Therapy affect my daily living? You may continue your usual work and activities but you may experience some tiredness near the end of your course of treatment and in the weeks following. Unless otherwise advised you may eat and drink normally. Alcohol consumption in moderation is permitted and you can continue to take any prescribed medications. Does Radiation Therapy make you radioactive? External Beam Radiation Therapy does not make you radioactive and it is perfectly safe for you to be around other people, including children, throughout your treatment. Can I miss a Radiation Therapy treatment? It is important that you do not miss any appointments, as your individual treatment plan has been carefully calculated. However, if missing an appointment is unavoidable, please discuss this with your Radiation Oncologist as soon as you know. Does radiotherapy affect pregnancy? Yes, it is important to ensure you are not pregnant or become pregnant at any time during radiotherapy, as x-rays can harm the foetus. If you think you may be pregnant at any time during your treatment, it is extremely important that you discuss this with a member of the radiation therapy team immediately. If you wish to become pregnant after your radiotherapy treatment, please discuss you fertility with your Radiation Oncologist. Page 10
Location Maps Epworth Richmond West Richmond HIGHETT ST FREEMAN ST BOWEN ST HODDLE ST 7 BRIDGE RD MOORHOUSE ST NORMANBY PL 6 ERIN ST 3 4 1 48 75 5 2 LEIGH PL LENNOX ST Epworth Freemasons Page 11
Epworth Radiation Oncology Contact Details Epworth Richmond Level 4, Epworth Centre 32 Erin Street Richmond Ph: (03) 9936 8277 E-mail: radiation.oncology.richmond@epworth.org.au Epworth Freemasons 161 Clarendon Street East Melbourne Ph: (03) 9483 3331 E-mail: radiation.oncology.freemasons@epworth.org.au Epworth Radiation Oncology Epworth HealthCare Excellence. Everywhere. Everyday Page 12