TY - JOUR
T1 - Nurse-guided patient self-treatment in integrative oncology
T2 - a randomized controlled trial
AU - Ben-Arye, Eran
AU - Balneaves, Lynda G.
AU - Yaguda, Susan
AU - Shulman, Bella
AU - Gressel, Orit
AU - Tapiro, Yehudit
AU - Sharabi, Ilanit Shalom
AU - Samuels, Noah
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature.
PY - 2023/4
Y1 - 2023/4
N2 - Objective: Nurses are increasingly becoming involved in integrative oncology (IO) programs. This study examined the additive effect of nurse-provided guidance for self-administered IO therapies on cancer-related fatigue and quality of life (QoL). Methods: The study was randomized and controlled, enrolling patients undergoing active oncology treatment with IO interventions for fatigue and other QoL-related outcomes. IO practitioner guidance on self-treatment with manual, relaxation, and/or traditional herbal therapies was provided to patients in both the intervention and control arms. However, patients in the intervention arms also received additional guidance on self-treatment by IO-trained palliative care nurses. All participants were assessed for fatigue and QoL at baseline and at 24-h follow-up, using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire tools. Results: Of 353 patients recruited, 187 were randomized to the intervention and 166 to the control group. Both groups had similar demographic and oncology-related characteristics. Patients in the intervention arm reported significantly greater improvement in ESAS scores for fatigue (p = 0.026) and appetite (p = 0.003) when compared to controls. Conclusion: The addition of nurse-provided guidance on self-administration of IO treatments to that provided by IO practitioners further reduced short-term scores for fatigue and improved appetite. The relationship between palliative and IO-supportive cancer care requires further study.
AB - Objective: Nurses are increasingly becoming involved in integrative oncology (IO) programs. This study examined the additive effect of nurse-provided guidance for self-administered IO therapies on cancer-related fatigue and quality of life (QoL). Methods: The study was randomized and controlled, enrolling patients undergoing active oncology treatment with IO interventions for fatigue and other QoL-related outcomes. IO practitioner guidance on self-treatment with manual, relaxation, and/or traditional herbal therapies was provided to patients in both the intervention and control arms. However, patients in the intervention arms also received additional guidance on self-treatment by IO-trained palliative care nurses. All participants were assessed for fatigue and QoL at baseline and at 24-h follow-up, using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) and the Measure Yourself Concerns and Wellbeing (MYCAW) questionnaire tools. Results: Of 353 patients recruited, 187 were randomized to the intervention and 166 to the control group. Both groups had similar demographic and oncology-related characteristics. Patients in the intervention arm reported significantly greater improvement in ESAS scores for fatigue (p = 0.026) and appetite (p = 0.003) when compared to controls. Conclusion: The addition of nurse-provided guidance on self-administration of IO treatments to that provided by IO practitioners further reduced short-term scores for fatigue and improved appetite. The relationship between palliative and IO-supportive cancer care requires further study.
KW - Integrative medicine
KW - Integrative oncology
KW - Nursing
KW - Palliative care
KW - Self-care
KW - Supportive care
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85150953076&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-023-07689-4
DO - 10.1007/s00520-023-07689-4
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C2 - 36964801
AN - SCOPUS:85150953076
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 31
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 4
M1 - 233
ER -
