A nurse-led bladder management protocol markedly improved treatment accuracy for men undergoing prostate hypofractionated radiotherapy.
In a study of 60 patients, those guided by a Certified Nurse in Radiation Oncology achieved 96.5% bladder volume reproducibility during treatment-well above the 86.9% seen in the standard care group. The goal was 70% consistency between planning and treatment bladder volumes.
The intervention combined dehydration risk assessment with handheld bladder ultrasound starting at the first session, enabling proactive fluid management before treatment.
As a result, 95.4% of sessions in the nurse-led group began after just one cone-beam CT scan, versus 80% in the control group-suggesting fewer repeat scans and lower radiation exposure from imaging.