Perceptions of radiation therapists and radiation oncologists towards their interprofessional collaboration during radiation therapy in Tshwane, South Africa

Abstract

Background: Collaboration in healthcare is essential as it cultivates excellence. Due to the overlap of the responsibilities of the RTT and the RO, the interdisciplinary collaboration between the two disciplines is critical to quality, holistic patient care. In the South African setting, it is unclear as to the nature of the interdisciplinary collaboration between the RTT and the RO. The Health Professional Council of South Africa (HPCSA) Scope of Practice for RTTs states that the RTT is to assist the RO during procedures in RT, while certain sectors purport close interdisciplinary collaboration between the RTT and the RO. Additionally, as far as the researcher could determine, there is a lack of literature describing the nature of the interdisciplinary collaboration between the RTT and the RO. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the nature of the interdisciplinary collaboration between the radiation therapist (RTT) and the radiation oncologist (RO) during radiation therapy (RT). Methods: An exploratory descriptive qualitative research design was adopted. The setting was the private and public RT departments situated in the Tshwane municipal area, Gauteng, South Africa. Practising RTTs and ROs were invited to take part in semi-structured, online interviews, using expert purposive sampling. Data analysis included content and thematic analysis where categories, sub- themes and themes were developed from the initial coding. Results: Seven (7) radiation oncologists and ten (10) radiation therapists were interviewed. The two main themes deducted from the data were the dual purpose of the collaborative communication, and a grappling with the collaborative communication divide. Conclusion: The study indicated that hierarchal issues, the physical divide between the two disciplines, and the status of the current communication being dominated by intermediaries are perceived by participants to hinder the collaborative communication between the two disciplines. The study offers to fill the gap in extant literature describing the specific interdisciplinary collaborative relationship between the RT and the RO during RT, and suggests possible revisions to the current HPCSA scope of practice for RO.