Usefulness of Nursing Care Incorporating The Anemia Assessment Tool in the Self-Care of Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Abstract

　The objective of this study was to elucidate the usefulness of nursing care that incorporates an anemia assessment tool （recording form） to evaluate anemia symptoms in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The study examined the usefulness of such care for the self-care of patients with anemia. The study subjects were outpatient nurses at 5 collaborating institutions. The nurses provided daily living instructions to 61 patients undergoing cancer chemotherapy in accordance with a guidebook for instructions in anemia care. The daily living instructions, which were tailored to the anemia symptoms of the patients in accordance with the guidebook, were provided each time the patients visited the hospital for chemotherapy. In providing the instructions, the nurses reviewed the recording form together with the patient. Approximately four weeks after the patients started recording their symptoms, a self-administered questionnaire survey on the effects of the nursing care was administered to nurses and the responses were analyzed. The results indicated that reviewing the recording forms together with the patients enabled more than 80% of the nurses to accurately and easily understand the patients’ anemia symptoms at an early stage. Moreover, the nurses indicated that the communication with the patients enabled them to gain a deeper understanding of the patients and provide care appropriate for patients’ lives. The findings indicated that nursing care that utilizes recording forms created with the tool is useful in supporting the self-care of cancer patients with anemia associated with chemotherapy.