Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in daily clinical practice: a community hospital-based study.

Background: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) are major adverse effects of cancer chemotherapy. This study investigated: (1) the impact of CINV on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL) in daily clinical practice; (2) the association between patient characteristics and type of antiemetics and CINV; and (3) the role of CINV in physicians' decisions to modify antiemetic treatment.

Patients And Methods: This prospective, multicenter study was conducted in nine general hospitals in the Netherlands.

Cancer-related fatigue: clinical practice versus practice guidelines.

Purpose: This study investigated adherence to treatment guidelines on cancer-related anaemia and fatigue (CRA/CRF) and factors influencing the choice of intervention.

Methods: In this prospective, observational study, 136 cancer patients being treated with chemotherapy in a large community hospital completed a questionnaire at consecutive outpatient visits assessing fatigue (the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue) and fatigue-related counselling and advice received. Data on administration of chemotherapy and use of epoetin or blood transfusions were abstracted from the medical records.

Use of health-related quality-of-life assessments in daily clinical oncology nursing practice: a community hospital-based intervention study.

Background: The current study evaluated the efficacy of incorporating standardized health-related quality of life (HRQL) assessments as a routine part of the outpatient chemotherapy treatment of cancer patients in a community hospital in terms of: 1) facilitating nurse-patient communication, 2) increasing nurses' awareness of patients' HRQL, 3) patient management, 4) patients' satisfaction, and 5) patients' HRQL.

Methods: The study employed a sequential cohort design with repeated measures. Ten nurses and 219 patients participated in this community hospital-based study.

Level of agreement between patient self-report and observer ratings of health-related quality of life communication in oncology.

Objective: To determine the level of agreement between patients and observers regarding the frequency with which health-related quality of life topics are discussed during outpatient clinical oncology visits.

Methods: The sample (n=50) consisted of a consecutive series of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Both the patients and observers used a checklist to report which HRQL topics had been discussed during the consultation.