Conference Proceedings - School of Nursing & Midwifery - Trinity ...

School of Nursing & Midwifery, Trinity College Dublin: 8 th Annual Interdisciplinary Research Conference
Transforming Healthcare Through Research, Education & Technology: 7 th – 9 th November 2007
Conference Proceedings
Table 4 - Summary of the key points identified from the
qualitative interviews
1. Compliance with completing
DDCs.
2.Coping strategies and
complementary therapies
3. Completing the DDCs evoked
a conditioned response
4. Dietary and sensory changes
during chemotherapy
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Only 3 of the 10 patients
completed the DDCs as
instructed by the research team.
Coping strategies such as denial
and complementary therapies
were used by patients.
Some of the patients suggested
that completing the DDCs made
them think about their illness
and made them feel sick
Several of the patients reported
indigestion, food avoidance and
sensory changes as they
progressed through their
treatment.
5. Fatigue as a problem Most patients described fatigue
as very debilitating for them at
most stages of their
6. Chemotherapy nurses used
avoidance or blocking behaviours
to deal with sensitive issues such
as sexuality and altered body
image
7. Patients’ symptoms were not
always assessed or managed
appropriately as they progressed
through their treatment
chemotherapy treatment
Some patients suggested that
they would have liked to discuss
personal issues such as
relationship difficulties with the
chemotherapy nurses but they
felt that the nurses were always
to busy
Many patients suggested that
their symptoms such as
indigestion, fatigue, dietary
problems were not addressed by
the health care team
4 Discussion following analysis of quantitative and
qualitative data
Introduction
The aim of this study was to explore the psychological effects on
patients of completing daily diary cards relating to nausea and
vomiting and to get a greater understanding of the difficulties they
experience when undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy for breast or
colorectal cancer. The study design included a combination of
quantitative and qualitative methods. The results identified a