Non-pharmacological interventions used by cancer patients during chemotherapy in Turkey

Abstract

Purpose: Although there are many non-pharmacological practices being recommended for symptom management, most patients prefer to use pharmacological interventions. This study assesses the non-pharmacological interventions used by cancer patients for symptom management during chemotherapy and the factors affecting its use.

Method: This study was conducted at the Istanbul University Institute of Oncology, Turkey, with 202 patients. Personal characteristics, illness-related characteristics, symptom severity and non-pharmacological interventions used by the patients were assessed by using Patient Description Form, ECOG and Nightingale Symptom Assessment Scale.

Results: Most of the patients in this study were living in Istanbul, 58.4% were women, 78.7% were married and their mean age was 48.82 ± 1.44. Most of the patients experienced different symptoms related to chemotherapy, but only a small number of patients preferred to use and benefited from the non-pharmacological interventions in their symptom management. There were different factors affecting the well-being of the patients, but only being young was found to be an important variable in the use of psychological interventions (OR 3.06 [95% CI 1.17-7.96]).

Conclusions: Physicians remain the central figure in the treatment of cancer patients, so oncologists and oncology nurses should be more proactive and innovative in their patient care, education, and counseling to maximize the use of non-pharmacological interventions that may be helpful in symptom management. Further research evaluating the use and effectiveness of non-pharmacological interventions on symptom management in cancer patients is needed.