Abstract

Approximately 22% of all cancer patients in the United States receive chemotherapy. Older adults account for 60 % of new cancer diagnoses in the United States. The aging process is associated with comorbidities that potentially can increase toxicities associated with chemotherapy. These include coronary artery disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Monitoring for toxicities during treatment and intervening when needed allows patients to move forward in their treatment plan. Interruptions in the treatment plan have the potential to adversely affect treatment goals. The purpose of this study is to determine if patients receiving phone calls on predetermined days had fewer days of treatment delay related to toxicities before proceeding to cycle 2 of chemotherapy and a decrease number of emergency department visits/hospitalizations related to toxicities. The study also followed those patients that received education from the nurse practitioner to determine if they had fewer days of treatment delay related to toxicities compared to those patients that did not have treatment delays. Sixty one participants were in the treatment group and 60 were in the control group. A statistical significance of .043 was found with patients receiving phone calls after starting treatment. There was no statistical significance in telephone calls affecting emergency department visits. There was no statistical significance in education by the nurse practitioner. Sample population was a limited in number but broad in diagnoses. Future research could benefit from following this topic in a larger metropolitan area where there are sufficient numbers of patients to follow with similar diagnosis.

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences | Nursing | Oncology

Download

Share

COinS