Effect of structured interventional programme on knowledge regarding post effect of parenteral chemotherapy and its management among patients admitted in oncology units
Authors: Thakur Reena 
Published: September 2022

Patients who are treated for cancer may experience difficult emotional responses, in addition to physical discomfort. Chemotherapy is associated with a number of side effects, such as nausea and vomiting, loss of appetite, mucositis, diarrhoea, infections, fatigue and emotional distress. Receiving chemotherapy treatment was perceived as difficult, and the experienced side effects negatively influenced patient’s bodies and moods.

The research process for this study was guided by conceptual framework based on Kings Goal Attainment theory. A pre-experimental, One-group pre-test post-test design was undertaken for the study. The independent variable for the study was the structured interventional programme on post effect of chemotherapy and its management and the dependent variable was knowledge of patients admitted in oncology unit. The study was conducted in oncology unit of S.G.P.T. government cancer hospital, Indore. The samples for the study were the patients admitted in oncology unit and the sample size for the study were 300. Non- probability convenient sampling technique was utilized to select the sample from the population. Patients were assessed using the structured knowledge questionnaire for knowledge regarding post effect of parenteral chemotherapy and its management. After assessing knowledge Structured Interventional Programme was implemented. After intervention on 7 day the post-test knowledge was assessed.

The analysis revealed that in the pre-test, 195 (65.0%) patients had obtained inadequate knowledge score, 91 (30.3%) patients had obtained moderate knowledge score and 14 (4.7%) patients had obtained adequate knowledge score. In the post-test, majority 192 (64.0%) patients had obtained adequate knowledge score, 58 (19.3%) patients had obtained moderate knowledge score and 50 (16.7%) patients had obtained inadequate knowledge score. Findings revealed that the mean pre-test knowledge score was 14.74 ± 6.03, while the post-test knowledge score was 24.69 ± 7.12.The student paired ‘t’ test value of the group was t = 33.063. The difference was found to be statistically significant (p&#60;0.05), showing a significantly higher post-test knowledge in comparison to the pre-test knowledge score. It infers that the structured interventional programme on knowledge regarding post effect of parenteral chemotherapy and its management among patients were effective in improving the knowledge level of patients. Findings in present study also reveal that pre-test knowledge score statistically associated with the age, sex, marital status, educational status, occupation area, history of cancer in family of the patients, habit of the patients, number of chemotherapy cycle receiving, body system affected with cancer and the previous information about parenteral chemotherapy and its management.

The study concluded that Structured Interventional Programme was effective in improving the knowledge of patients on post effect of parenteral chemotherapy and its management. The study recommended the utilization of structured interventional programme by community health nurses, nurse researchers, nurse administrators, nurse educators and health care professionals to improve knowledge of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.