Arunee Lonil. Effects of anorexia and anorexia management of patients and families on nutritional status in colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy . Master's Degree(Adult Nursing). Mahidol University. : Mahidol University, 2004.
Effects of anorexia and anorexia management of patients and families on nutritional status in colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy
Abstract:
This study is a descriptive research. The purpose of this study is to describe
effects of anorexia experience, anorexia management by patients and by families on
nutritional status in colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy based on the
conceptual model of Symptom Management of Larson and colleagues (1994). The
data was collected from interviews of 82 colorectal cancer patients who received
chemotherapy from 5 Oncology Clinics at the Medical Outpatients Department, Siriraj
Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital, National Cancer Institute, Chonburi Cancer Center
and Lopburi Cancer Center. The study materials comprised a demographic
questionnaire, numeric rating scale, questionnaire on patient’s ability to derive
pleasure from eating, questionnaire referring to strategies used by patient to manage
his anorexia, strategies used by family to manage patient’s anorexia and Mini
Nutritional Assessment. Data was collected from February to June 2004. The
statistical analysis used were frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation,
Pearson’s Product Moment Correlation Coefficient and Stepwise multiple regression.
The results found that the majority of patients perceived anorexia symptoms
resulting from side effects of chemotherapy on the first day to the third day of
chemotherapy administration (89 %). About 59.8% of patients perceived the highest
peak of anorexia during the sixth day to tenth day and most of them perceived no
anorexia one month after receiving chemotherapy (62.2 %). The effects of anorexia
management by families and the ability to derive pleasure from eating could predict
the nutritional status of colorectal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. These two
factors have a 40.4 percent cumulative predictive power at statistically significant
level of 0.01.
From the findings of this study, it is recommended that before chemotherapy is
administered, nurses should give appropriate advice about all relevant symptoms of
anorexia not only to patients but also to their families/ caregivers. Families/caregivers
should understand that the appropriate consumption is necessary to improve their
patient’s quality of life and survival. They must also learn how to prevent and manage
the anorexia and its related symptoms in order to help their patients cope with these
symptoms. Patients who have suffered from less food consumption problems should
be taken cared of very carefully in order to avoid malnutrition. Nurses and physicians
should routinely assess their patient’s nutritional status, especially during the intensive
stage of chemotherapy