The effects of patient participation-based dietary intervention on nutritional and functional status for patients with gastrectomy: a randomized controlled trial

Abstract

Background: Patients undergoing gastrectomy because of stomach cancer often face weight loss in the perioperational period, which can lead to malnutrition and negative treatment outcomes.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a patient participation-based dietary intervention (PPDI) and evaluate its effects on patient outcomes.

Interventions/methods: This was a prospective, randomized controlled trial in which the patients were recruited in a cancer center in South Korea. The participants (N = 56), who underwent gastrectomy with stomach cancer stage I to III, were randomly assigned into either the experimental or the control group. The PPDI, which was given on the day before the hospital discharge, comprised 2 face-to-face and 2 telephone interventions. The outcome variables included body weight, body mass index, muscle mass, the Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, Dietary Symptom Scale, Functional Assessment Cancer Therapy-General, Karnofsky Performance Status, Adherence to Dietary Guidelines Scale, Scale of Dietary Knowledge, Patient Satisfaction Scale, and a 3-day food diary.

Results: Participants in the PPDI intervention demonstrated significant (P < .05) reductions in adverse dietary symptoms and significant improvements (P < .05) in functional status, performance status, dietary intake, adherence to dietary guidelines, dietary knowledge, and satisfaction with the intervention as compared with the control group over time.

Conclusion: The PPDI was an effective dietary intervention for patients undergoing a gastrectomy for gastric cancer and deserves additional study in other populations of patients.

Implications for practice: Incorporating patients' perspectives into a dietary intervention after gastrectomy for gastric cancer may contribute to improved patient outcomes and quality care.