Service user involvement in radiotherapy and oncology education; the patient perspective

Highlights: • All participants benefitted from their involvement with teaching students. • Primary motivation for participation was the opportunity to tell their story. • Influencing student behaviour & understanding of vital importance to participants. • Participants still affected by cancer-related trauma gained most. • Post traumatic growth may potentially occur in participants by teaching students. - Abstract: IntroductionThe Health & Care Professions Council (HCPC) recently mandated the integration of the service-user voice into all aspects of allied healthcare education in the UK. However, the potential benefits and harms of this integration to service users are largely unknown. This study aimed to determine service user perspectives on relaying their personal experience of the cancer treatment pathway to students in an undergraduate Radiotherapy and Oncology programme.