Information Sources on Radiotherapy Among Cancer Patients Attending the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (Unth), Enugu, Nigeria

• Author(s): Okeke Chimaobi Augustine; Sylvester Kelechi Kenneth ; Owoh Solomon Uchenna
• Paper ID: 1719607
• Page: 980-984
• Published Date: 10-07-2026
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 10 Issue 1 July-2026
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719607

Abstract

Patients' information sources shape how they understand and respond to radiotherapy, yet in many Nigerian oncology settings the channels through which patients actually learn about treatment remain poorly documented. This study identified the main sources of information through which cancer patients learn about radiotherapy at the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, and a structured questionnaire was administered to 110 cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, selected by simple random sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and means) with the aid of SPSS version 25.0. The results showed that doctors were the first source of information about radiotherapy for the majority of respondents (85.5%), while health professionals generally were identified as the most trusted source of information (90.0%). Over half of the respondents (53.6%) strongly agreed that health professionals explained radiotherapy clearly, and 46.4% disagreed that social media increased their fear of radiotherapy. Despite this, a majority (57.3%) still indicated a desire for more education about radiotherapy. The study concludes that healthcare professionals, particularly doctors, dominate as the primary and most trusted channel of radiotherapy information at UNTH, a pattern that likely underlies the good knowledge and low-risk perception observed among these patients. It is recommended that structured, continuous patient education programmes be strengthened to consolidate this advantage and further reduce reliance on informal or unverified sources.

Keywords

Cancer Patients, Health Education, Information Sources, Radiotherapy, UNTH Enugu.

Citations

IRE Journals:
Okeke Chimaobi Augustine, Sylvester Kelechi Kenneth , Owoh Solomon Uchenna "Information Sources on Radiotherapy Among Cancer Patients Attending the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (Unth), Enugu, Nigeria" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 10 Issue 1 2026 Page 980-984 https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719607

IEEE:
Okeke Chimaobi Augustine, Sylvester Kelechi Kenneth , Owoh Solomon Uchenna "Information Sources on Radiotherapy Among Cancer Patients Attending the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (Unth), Enugu, Nigeria" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 10, no. 1, Jul. 2026, doi: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719607

APA:
Okeke Chimaobi Augustine, Sylvester Kelechi Kenneth , Owoh Solomon Uchenna (2026). Information Sources on Radiotherapy Among Cancer Patients Attending the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (Unth), Enugu, Nigeria. Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 10(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719607

MLA:
Okeke Chimaobi Augustine, Sylvester Kelechi Kenneth , Owoh Solomon Uchenna "Information Sources on Radiotherapy Among Cancer Patients Attending the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (Unth), Enugu, Nigeria" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, vol. 10, no. 1, Jul. 2026. Crossref, https://doi.org/10.64388/IREV10I1-1719607

BibTeX

@article{1719607,
author = {Okeke Chimaobi Augustine, Sylvester Kelechi Kenneth , Owoh Solomon Uchenna},
title = {Information Sources on Radiotherapy Among Cancer Patients Attending the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (Unth), Enugu, Nigeria},
journal = {Iconic Research And Engineering Journals},
year = {2026},
volume = {10},
number = {1},
pages = {980-984},
issn = {2456-8880},
url = {https://www.irejournals.com/formatedpaper/1719607.pdf},
abstract = {Patients' information sources shape how they understand and respond to radiotherapy, yet in many Nigerian oncology settings the channels through which patients actually learn about treatment remain poorly documented. This study identified the main sources of information through which cancer patients learn about radiotherapy at the Oncoclinic, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu. A descriptive cross-sectional design was adopted, and a structured questionnaire was administered to 110 cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy, selected by simple random sampling. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentages, and means) with the aid of SPSS version 25.0. The results showed that doctors were the first source of information about radiotherapy for the majority of respondents (85.5%), while health professionals generally were identified as the most trusted source of information (90.0%). Over half of the respondents (53.6%) strongly agreed that health professionals explained radiotherapy clearly, and 46.4% disagreed that social media increased their fear of radiotherapy. Despite this, a majority (57.3%) still indicated a desire for more education about radiotherapy. The study concludes that healthcare professionals, particularly doctors, dominate as the primary and most trusted channel of radiotherapy information at UNTH, a pattern that likely underlies the good knowledge and low-risk perception observed among these patients. It is recommended that structured, continuous patient education programmes be strengthened to consolidate this advantage and further reduce reliance on informal or unverified sources.},
keywords = {Cancer Patients, Health Education, Information Sources, Radiotherapy, UNTH Enugu.},
month = {July}
}