Virtual Support, Real Impact: Effectiveness of Tele-nursing in Alleviating Chemotherapy Symptoms Among Cancer Patients

November 22, 2024 updated by: Alaa El Din Moustafa Hamed Abd Elaleem, Helwan University

Virtual Support, Real Impact: the Effectiveness of Tele-nursing in Alleviating Chemotherapy Symptoms Among Cancer Patients; a Quasi-experimental Study

This quasi-experimental study evaluated a tele-nursing educational program's impact on improving the quality of life and managing chemotherapy-related symptoms in 74 adult cancer patients at Mansoura University Hospital in Egypt. Delivered via Telegram, the program involved weekly educational sessions, aiming to enhance symptom management and quality of life.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a tele-nursing educational program in managing chemotherapy-related and cancer-related symptoms and improving the quality of life among adult cancer patients. Conducted at the Oncology Center at Mansoura University Hospital in Egypt, the study recruited 74 participants who completed structured interviews detailing their demographics, medical history, symptom severity (using the MDASI-A tool), and quality of life (using the QOL-ACD tool). The intervention, delivered via a Telegram group, included weekly educational sessions focused on managing chemotherapy symptoms. The sessions featured educational content and feedback, with outcomes measured through changes in symptom severity and quality of life scores before and after the intervention. This approach highlighted the program's potential to enhance patients' overall well-being and symptom management.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

74

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Egypt
    • Dakhalia
      • Mansura, Dakhalia, Egypt, 35516
        • Mansura university

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • • Diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment at an outpatient chemotherapy center

    • Age from 20 less than 60 years.
    • Accept to participate in the study.
    • Had smart phones linked with internet
    • Educated and able to use Zoom and Telegram applications

Exclusion Criteria:

  • • Having active, serious physical disease

    • Patients with mental disease.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Enrolled participants
The intervention administered in this study was a tele-nursing educational program aimed at improving cancer patients' management of chemotherapy-related symptoms and enhancing their quality of life. The program was delivered via a Telegram group, which provided a platform for regular interaction between the patients and nursing staff. The educational content was designed to address common chemotherapy-related symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, pain, and loss of appetite, and to provide guidance on managing these symptoms effectively.
Behavioral: tele-nursing educational program
The intervention administered in this study was a tele-nursing educational program aimed at improving cancer patients' management of chemotherapy-related symptoms and enhancing their quality of life. The program was delivered via a Telegram group, which provided a platform for regular interaction between the patients and nursing staff. The educational content was designed to address common chemotherapy-related symptoms, such as nausea, fatigue, pain, and loss of appetite, and to provide guidance on managing these symptoms effectively.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
cancer-related and treatment-related symptoms
Time Frame: 3 months

The M.D. Anderson Symptom Inventory Arabic Version (MDASI-A), adapted from Nejmi et al. (2010), was utilized to assess the severity of cancer-related and treatment-related symptoms in a manner accessible to Arabic-speaking patients. Designed in straightforward Arabic, the tool evaluates both the intensity of 13 core symptoms commonly experienced by cancer patients and their interference with daily functioning. This makes the MDASI-A comprehensive while remaining brief enough to avoid imposing a burden on respondents.

The MDASI-A employs a 0-2 numerical scale (Never = 0, Sometimes = 1, Always = 2), ensuring its usability even among less-educated individuals. It is also adaptable for telephone, computer, and other electronic methods of administration. Scores were converted to percentages to classify symptom intensity into three categories: low (<50%), average (50% to <75%), and high (≥75%) based on the method proposed by Daisuke and Makoto (2022).
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Quality of life for Cancer Patients
Time Frame: 3 months

The Quality of Life Questionnaire for Cancer Patients Treated with Anticancer Drugs (QOL-ACD), adopted from Kurihara et al. (1999), was employed to assess the quality of life (QOL) among patients undergoing anticancer treatment. This questionnaire comprises 22 items distributed across five domains: six items for daily activities, five for physical condition, five for mental and psychological status, five for social activities, and one for general QOL (evaluated via a face scale). Each item was rated on a 5-point scale, with scores ranging from 1 (lowest QOL) to 5 (highest QOL), yielding a total score between 22 and 110; higher scores indicate better QOL.

Patients' responses were classified into three categories based on their scores: good (≤75%), average (50%-<75%), and low (>50%), according to the scoring framework by Saad and Elsayed (2021). Negative statements were reverse scored to align with the Likert scale format, ensuring consistency in the evaluation.
3 months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Helwan University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Alaa El Din M Abd Elaleem, PhD, Faculty of Nursing

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

January 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

April 30, 2024

Study Completion (Actual)

August 30, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

November 20, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 22, 2024

First Posted (Estimated)

November 25, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

November 25, 2024

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

November 22, 2024

Last Verified

November 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

  • NURRSC23071035

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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