Recalled side effects and self-care actions of patients receiving inpatient chemotherapy.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To increase knowledge of the incidence and severity of chemotherapy side effects, identify self-care actions and their effectiveness, and determine patients' acceptance of and ability to complete Nail's Self-Care Diary (SCD) (Nail, Jones, Greene, Schipper, & Jensen, 1991).

DESIGN

Descriptive, retrospective.

SETTING

Single medical oncology unit in an urban, tertiary care, private institution.

SAMPLE

59 adult patients with cancer who had received at least one prior cycle of chemotherapy as inpatients were asked to complete the study forms and agreed to participate.

METHODS

Eligible and consenting patients completed the SCD, recalling side effects and self-care since their last hospitalization for chemotherapy, as well as patient demographic forms and evaluations of the SCD. Descriptive statistics were used in analysis.

FINDINGS

More than 50% of the patients reported having alopecia, fatigue, nausea, taste changes, appetite loss, sleeping difficulties, and constipation during the posthospitalization period. Self-care actions were employed with variable effect. Taking medication was among the most effective self-care actions. The majority of patients found the SCD easy to complete.

CONCLUSIONS

Side effects noted by patients in this study were similar to those of other populations.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE

This study adds to the literature evaluating specific self-care actions practiced by patients. Nail's SCD was found to be useful in collecting data retrospectively and may serve as a basis for proactive patient teaching regarding side-effect management.