Asian Nursing Research  2014;8(1):36-41

Relationship between Quality of Life and Nurse-led Bedside Symptom Evaluations in Patients with Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy.

Yang Sook YOO 1 ; Ok Hee CHO

Affiliations

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Keywords

neurotoxicity syndromes; quality of life; symptom assessment

Country

Republic of Korea

Language

English

Abstract

PURPOSE: This cross-sectional study aimed at determining the relationship between patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and nurse-led bedside evaluations of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms. METHODS: One hundred ninety-five patients treated at the oncology clinic at our institution were assessed using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity and nurse-led bedside examinations. The relationship between self-reported QOL and bedside examinations was evaluated using Spearman rank correlations. RESULTS: Scores of upper and lower extremity muscle strength based on the bedside examinations showed a weak negative correlation with the emotional well-being subscale of Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. Further, weak negative relationships were present between QOL and the following nurse-reported parameters: vibration perception in the hand, upper extremity muscle strength, touch and vibration perception in the feet, and tendon reflexes. CONCLUSION: Collectively, our results indicate that nurse-led bedside evaluation is a noninvasive and useful method for detecting neurotoxicity and evaluating the patient's QOL both during and after treatment.