Effects of a nursing intervention on subjective distress, side effects and quality of life of breast cancer patients receiving curative radiation therapy--a randomized study

Abstract

The purpose of this randomized study was to investigate whether a nursing intervention using Orem's self-care theory as a framework would affect subjective distress, side effects and quality of life as perceived by breast cancer patients receiving curative radiation therapy. The intervention consisted of five 30-min sessions once a week during the treatment period and two follow-up sessions after completion of treatment. The experimental group consisted of 67 patients, as did the control group. Measurements were collected five times: at baseline before commencement of treatment, at weeks 3 and 5 (completion of treatment) and follow-up periods of 2 weeks and 3 months. No measurable effect of the nursing intervention was found for side effects or quality of life but nursing intervention proved to have a positive effect in minimizing stress reactions (p = < 0.05). It is suggested that a nursing intervention should be implemented for breast cancer patients receiving curative radiation therapy.