Relationship between Quality of Life and Nurse-led Bedside Symptom Evaluations in Patients with Chemotherapy-induced Peripheral Neuropathy

Abstract

Purpose: This cross-sectional study aimed at determining the relationship between patient-reported quality of life (QOL) and nurse-led bedside evaluations of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy symptoms. Methods: One hundred ninety-five patients treated at the oncology clinic at our institution were assessed using Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group–Neurotoxicity and nurse-led bedside examinations. The relationship between self-reported QOL and bedside examinations was evaluated using Spearman rank correlations. Results: Scores of upper and lower extremity muscle strength based on the bedside examinations showed a weak negative correlation with the emotional well-being subscale of Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General. Further, weak negative relationships were present between QOL and the following nurse-reported parameters: vibration perception in the hand, upper extremity muscle strength, touch and vibration perception in the feet, and tendon reflexes. Conclusion: Collectively, our results indicate that nurse-led bedside evaluation is a noninvasive and useful method for detecting neurotoxicity and evaluating the patient’s QOL both during and after treatment.

Keywords

• neurotoxicity syndromes
• quality of life
• symptom assessment