A randomized controlled trial comparing visual-based and traditional educational materials in radiotherapy patient education

Background: Effective patient education is a core component of supportive care delivered by radiotherapy teams. However, conventional text-based materials may not adequately address the needs of patients with limited health literacy or high anxiety. Visual-enhanced educational tools may help patients better understand treatment procedures, manage side effects, and engage in self-care, but evidence from randomized controlled trials in radiotherapy settings remains limited. Methods: We conducted a single-center, prospective, parallel-group randomized controlled trial including 200 adults (100 breast cancer and 100 head and neck cancer) initiating radiotherapy at a medical center. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 (stratified by cancer type) to receive either visual-based illustrated pamphlets (enhanced group) or traditional text-based pamphlets (control group) as part of a standardized education session delivered by certified oncology nurses. Anxiety was assessed using the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety (HAMA), and self-care knowledge was measured using a structured questionnaire, both at baseline and at two weeks after radiotherapy initiation. Inter-group differences in changes over time were examined using independent t-tests and analysis of covariance, with effect sizes and 95% confidence intervals reported. Results: Both groups demonstrated reductions in anxiety and improvements in self-care knowledge over time; however, the visual-based group showed significantly greater benefits. Participants who received illustrated materials had a larger decrease in total HAMA scores compared with the control group (mean change − 3.39 ± 4.48 vs. −0.17 ± 3.11; p < 0.0001). Enhanced improvements were also observed across multiple anxiety-related domains. In addition, the visual-based group achieved higher post-intervention scores on key self-care knowledge items, particularly in areas such as treatment frequency, skin protection, dietary adjustment, and hydration, with consistently significant inter-group differences. Conclusions: Visual-based educational materials delivered by certified oncology nurses significantly reduced anxiety and enhanced self-care knowledge among patients initiating radiotherapy, compared with traditional text-only materials. Integrating illustrated educational tools into routine radiotherapy education may promote patient-centered care and improve health literacy. Future studies should evaluate long-term behavioral outcomes, broader implementation in diverse oncology settings, and resource/workflow impact. Trial registration: This randomized controlled trial was retrospectively registered at ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT06678204) on 29 October 2024 and is reported in accordance with the CONSORT 2025 Statement.