Cognitive dysfunction in cancer patients: an educational needs area improved by a single intervention

Abstract

Background: Chemotherapy-related cognitive dysfunction (CRCD) is increasingly recognized as an important cause of posttreatment morbidity, with significant impact on quality of life. We sought to evaluate the level of need for and awareness of information regarding CRCD among nurses involved with the care of persons receiving chemotherapy. We also hypothesized that educational interventions are useful in this increasingly important area of oncology nursing.

Methods: Chemotherapy nurse providers were surveyed regarding CRCD beliefs and skills; a subset of individuals attending a CRCD educational session underwent pretesting and posttesting to assess CRCD knowledge.

Results: Respondents perceived that CRCD is a serious problem and identified the following needs areas: general CRCD education, diagnostic skills, knowledge regarding behavioral and pharmacologic interventions, and availability of adequate CRCD practice protocols. With a single educational intervention, posttest scoring improved over pretest in most subjects, with a statistically significant overall improvement in mean scores.

Conclusions: Our results suggest the need for education in CRCD diagnosis, intervention, and protocol development. A single educational intervention improved knowledge. Our work underscores the importance of CRCD education for the Oncology Education Services and other oncology nurse educational resources.