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

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. Copyright (C) 2013, Korean Society of Nursing Science. Published by Elsevier. All rights reserved.