Implementation of a patient experience–focused review at the time of radiation therapy simulation.

211 Background: Anxiety impairs information retention and may lower patient satisfaction. Because anxiety is highest at the time of radiation therapy (RT) simulation, we added a personal patient experience (PX) review of the treatment process focusing on resolution of any outstanding concerns and measured for a benefit using patient satisfaction scores. Methods: A single PX trained Senior Radiation Therapist met patients at simulation and reviewed multiple factors from registration to any outstanding medical issues, with the goal of addressing and resolving all questions. A CMS-approved patient satisfaction tool was recorded during this time to assess for any benefit of this PX review. The tool asks 17 questions in 5 domains (Registration, Facility, Your Treatment, Personal Issues, and Overall Assessment) and calculates an Overall Facility Rating. Tools received between the date of simulation and the date of follow-up were considered an on-treatment evaluation and were used for assessment. Scores were compared with a Mann-Whitney U test. There were no other formal departmental patient satisfaction efforts during this time. Results: Between 2/16 and 6/18 a total of 1369 patients (median 65 yrs; 64% women; 38% breast cancer; 82% curative) were met at simulation by our Senior Therapist spending a median of 23 minutes per patient (range 0 – 117). We received 732 patient satisfaction surveys (median 67 yrs; 61% women; 40% breast cancer; 90% curative) including 98 on-treatment respondents, 69 of whom had the PX review and reported significantly better scores for 10 of the 17 questions and 4 of the 5 domains (Registration p = 0.04, Facility p = 0.03, Personal Issues p = 0.02, Overall Assessment p = 0.002). The PX review was significantly better for the calculated Overall Facility Rating (p = 0.04). Conclusions: The PX review at simulation was associated with significantly higher patient satisfaction scores in 4 of 5 domains, including areas not specifically addressed during the interview (e.g. cleanliness). Improvements of this amount are typically associated with very large improvements in percentile rankings. This intervention was extremely successful but durability of this benefit into the follow up period was not assessed.