What helps or hinders adult cancer patients in accepting dietary interventions during chemotherapy? A qualitative...

This study aimed to systematically identify and analyze the facilitating factors and barriers affecting oral dietary intervention acceptance in adult chemotherapy patients.

Electronic databases including PubMed, Embase, EBSCO, Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched from inception to December 31, 2024. Qualitative or mixed-methods studies in English that focused on adult patients' perspectives on oral dietary nutritional interventions during chemotherapy. were included. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist. Data synthesis was conducted using JBI's meta-synthesis approach. The quality of the synthesized findings was evaluated using the Confidence in the Evidence from the Reviews of Qualitative Research (CERQual) method.

A total of 18 studies were included in the analysis, all of which exhibited good methodological quality. Through meta-synthesis, 58 key findings were extracted and systematically categorized into ten themes, including five facilitators and five barriers to dietary nutrition interventions. Facilitators included health awareness, psychological empowerment, familial emotional obligation, dietary behavior continuity, and social support system. Barriers encompassed symptom burden and sensory dysregulation, emotional and psychosocial distress, limited nutritional literacy and information ambiguity, structural and economic constraints to food access, and role conflicts. The CERQual assessment results showed confidence levels in these synthesized findings ranged from high to low.

This review highlights modifiable factors influencing adult patients' acceptance of oral dietary nutritional interventions during chemotherapy. These insights might inform the development of targeted interventions to enhance dietary adherence and improve nutritional outcomes in this patient population.