Is a nurse-led telephone intervention a viable alternative to nurse-led home care and standard care for patients receiving oral capecitabine? Results from a large prospective audit in patients with colorectal cancer.

Home care nursing has been shown to be a valuable service for patients receiving oral chemotherapy; however, associated costs can be high and telephone-based services may be more cost-effective options. This prospective audit explored the usefulness of a nurse-led telephone intervention for supporting cancer patients treated with Capecitabine, comparing historical findings from a randomised trial evaluating a home-based intervention over standard care with a modified nurse-led telephone follow-up intervention. Self-reported toxicity and service use were assessed in 298 patients who received nurse-led telephone follow-up, compared with historical data from 164 patients (81 receiving standard care and 83 home care intervention).