Patient Experience of an 18F-FDG-PET/CT Examination: Need for Improvements in Patient Care

The aims of this study were to investigate the patients' knowledge about and experience of an 18F-fluoro-deoxy-glucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) examination and to investigate the self-reported feelings of stress, level of physical activity, and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and to find out if this was related to how they experienced the examination. A cross-sectional survey was used to collect information on 198 patients with known or suspected malignancy. As many as 32% to 63% were satisfied with the nursing staff, the communication, and the professional skills. Most patients did not know beforehand what an FDG-PET/CT examination was. The HRQoL, level of perceived stress, and physical activity were relatively low. A better HRQoL, lower level of perceived stress, and a higher level of physical activity were correlated to a more positive experience and higher education to more knowledge about the examination (p < .01-.05). The information before the examination needs to be improved. The results may be used to improve patient care and optimize imaging procedures.