Standardized nursing mode effectively controls pain caused by radiotherapy and chemotherapy in patients with advanced cancer

Am J Transl Res. 2023 Jun 15;15(6):4408-4415. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Objective: To explore the application value of a standardized nursing model in pain management of advanced cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

Methods: The clinical data of 166 patients with advanced cancer who suffered pain after receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy in the Oncology Department of Guang'an People's Hospital from June 2020 to June 2021 were retrospectively analyzed. Among them, 83 patients who received routine care were grouped as a control group, while the other 83 patients who received standardized cancer pain nursing based on routine nursing were set as the experimental group. The location, duration, and degree of pain (numeric rating scales, NRS) and quality of life (European Quality of Life Scale, QLQ-C30) of patients were evaluated.

Results: Before treatment and nursing intervention, there were no significant differences in the location, duration, or degree of pain as well as in patients' quality of life between the two groups (all P>0.05). During and after radiotherapy, the pain was mainly concentrated in the skin of the radiation field, and the duration of pain increased with the number of rounds of radiotherapy. After nursing, patients in the experimental group showed lower NRS scores than those in the control group (P<0.05); the scores of physical function, role function, emotional function, cognitive function, social function and general health status of the experimental group were higher than those of the control group (all P<0.05); and the scores of fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, insomnia, loss of appetite and constipation in the experimental group were lower than those in the control group (all P<0.05).

Conclusion: A standardized cancer pain nursing model can effectively alleviate the radio-chemotherapy induced pain of cancer patients and effectively improve their quality of life.

Keywords: Standardization of cancer pain care; quality of life; radiochemotherapy.