2000 Volume 14 Issue 1 Pages 3-14
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore what would happen to cancer patients experiencing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting when involved in a relaxation program based on a patient-nurse partnership. The research design was that of one group pretest-posttest with qualitative and quantitative data being collected at three intervals ; base line, during relaxation training and during the relaxation program period. The qualitative data was collected from the participant's thoughts on chemotherapy, illness and relaxation and the quantitative data was collected from the intensity of nausea, the discomfort of nausea and vomiting, the frequency of vomiting and use of antiemetic injections, the quantity of daily meals, and vital signs. The participants were 4 gynecology cancer patients.
The results indicated that as the 4 participants reflected on themselves through interaction with the researcher, they became aware of how rigid their ideas and attitudes were, thus helping them to become free of them. They were thus able to react more positively towards the chemotherapy and their illness. But some quantitative data remained unchanged. The results suggest it is important that patients receive chemotherapy with consent, that the interaction between patients and nurses be open, and that a relaxation program begin before the patient experiences too much discomfort. The results show that a relaxation program based on a patient-nurse partnership was an effective independent nursing intervention for improving the patient's experience during chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. The limitation of this study was the small sample. Thus more study is needed.
