SYMPTOMS AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENTS IN CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY

Authors

  • อมรรัตน์ นธะสิทธิ์
  • สุจิตรา เหลืองอมรเลิศ

Keywords:

symptom, symptom management

Abstract

This descriptive research aimed to study commonsymptoms, symptom managements, and symptomoutcomes of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.The theoretical framework used in this study was basedon the concept of symptom management proposed byDodd et al. (2001). The subjects consisted of 122cancer patients who received chemotherapy at a DayChemotherapy Unit of Srinagarind Hospital, Facultyof Medicine, Khon Kaen University. The subjects wereobtained through purposive sampling according to thestudyûs eligibility criteria. The instruments used in thisstudy consisted of a questionnaire of common symptomsand a questionnaire of symptom managements. The twolatter questionnaires were tested for their reliabilitieswhich equaled 0.85 and 0.85 respectively. The datawere analyzed through descriptive statistics. The resultsare as follows:The results revealed that in general, the mostfive common symptoms were alopecia, anorexia, tastechange, fatigue, and mouth sore. Except alopecia, thesesymptoms were not only common but also severe,suffering, and disturbing the patientûs daily life.Symptom managements included changes in eatingbehaviors, using modern medications, mood andemotional adjustment, personal hygiene care, relaxation,self-concept management, and massage. Most patientsreceived information of symptom managements fromphysicians and nurses. After using symptommanagements, the patients evaluated that the frequency,severity, and suffering of their symptoms were decreasedand their mood and emotional stage were better. The results of this study indicated that cancerpatients used a variety of symptom managements athome. Most of their symptom managements suggestedby physicians and nurses could help the patients managetheir symptoms effectively, and in turn decreased theseverity of symptoms.

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Published

2012-03-20

How to Cite

1.
นธะสิทธิ์ อ, เหลืองอมรเลิศ ส. SYMPTOMS AND SYMPTOM MANAGEMENTS IN CANCER PATIENTS UNDERGOING CHEMOTHERAPY. JNSH [Internet]. 2012 Mar. 20 [cited 2024 Mar. 28];32(1):12-24. Available from: https://he01.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/nah/article/view/878