Problems of Compliance with Treatment among Patients Receiving Radiotherapy

Abstract

This article addresses the obstacles to compliance with treatment among cancer patients receiving radiotherapy. Some-forms that failure to comply may take are (1) delay in seeking treatment, (2) refusal of treatment recommendations, (3) premature termination of treatment, and (4) loss to follow-up after treatment. The authors address the possible factors that give rise to difficulties at each stage and the means by which these difficulties may be prevented or managed, including patient education and orientation, attention to patient-staff relationships, awareness of the behavioral and psychological changes that seriously ill patients and their families undergo, accessibility of psychiatric intervention, and use of community resources. Typical problems are illustrated with the aid of case examples, and methods of identifying patients at risk for noncompliance before problems develop are described.