Nursing care of oncology patients receiving chemotherapy

As part of a research effort directed at identifying specific nursing activities related to the subsequent health status of the patient, this study explored relationships between selected nursing activities and patient outcomes for the oncology patient who was receiving chemotherapy. The study was correlational in design and descriptive in nature. Included in the study were 57 subjects from oncology and/or medical units in public and private nonprofit general hospitals. Human subjects' clearance was obtained for the study in each participating hospital. Data were collected primarily by means of patient and nurse responses to self-administered questionnaires. In the initial phase of data analysis, zero-order correlations were obtained for each pair of nursing activity and patient outcome variables. In addition, to identify relative contributions of different nursing activities to the health status of patients, regression analyses were performed in selected situations. The content and the quality of the explanation of the treatment and care regime were observed to be correlated positively with the patient's self-esteem. The quality of the explanation was observed to be positively related to the patient's knowledge base. Involving the patient in his care plan and giving him control over the activities of the day were positively correlated with importance of having things explained to him.