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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 Aug:71:102643.
doi: 10.1016/j.ejon.2024.102643. Epub 2024 Jun 15.

Effectiveness of a phone-based support program on self-care self-efficacy, psychological distress, and quality of life among women newly diagnosed with breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Xi Chen  1 , Yang Qin  2 , Nujjaree Chaimongkol  3
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effectiveness of a phone-based support program on self-care self-efficacy, psychological distress, and quality of life among women newly diagnosed with breast cancer: A randomized controlled trial

Xi Chen et al. Eur J Oncol Nurs. 2024 Aug.

Abstract

Purpose: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a Phone-Based Support Program (PBSP) for newly diagnosed women with breast cancer.

Methods: A two-group repeated measures randomized controlled trial was designed. Participants included 94 patients aged 18-60 years who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer and undergoing chemotherapy in a tertiary hospital in China. They were randomly assigned to the intervention and the control groups. Participants in the intervention group were enrolled in a four-session PBSP, consisting of four interactive sections: learning, discussion, ask-the-expert, and personal stories, plus the routine care. Outcomes included patients' self-care self-efficacy, psychological distress (including symptom distress, anxiety, and depression), and quality of life. These were assessed at three time points: pre-intervention (T1), post-intervention (T2), and follow-up (T3) by using the self-care self-efficacy scale, the M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory, the hospital anxiety and depression scale, and the global health status scale.

Results: After completion of the intervention, participants in the intervention group had significantly (p < .001) higher self-care self-efficacy (T2: Mdiff = 11.49, T3: Mdiff = 22.33), better quality of life (T2: Mdiff = 8.18, T3: Mdiff = 17.19), lower symptom distress (T2: Mdiff = -26.68, T3: Mdiff = -54.76), less anxiety (T2: Mdiff = -2.52, T3: Mdiff = -5.11), and less depression (T2: Mdiff = -3.61, T3: Mdiff = -6.71) than those in the control group.

Conclusion: These findings indicate that the PBSP is effective. Healthcare professionals, especially nurses, could utilize it to enhance self-care self-efficacy and quality of life, as well as decrease psychological distress among women newly diagnosed breast cancer.

Registration: The Thai Clinical Trial Registry #TCTR20230321010.

Keywords: Anxiety; Breast cancer; Chemotherapy; Depression; Phone-based support; Psychological distress; Quality of life; Self-care self-efficacy; Symptom distress.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Nujjaree Chaimongkol reports a relationship with Burapha University Faculty of Nursing that includes: employment. If there are other authors, they declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

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