Diminish Chemotherapy Related Side Effects Through Patient Education

Summary

Participation Requirements

Description

The diagnosis of cancer is a life-altering event which can cause a large amount of distress in patients. One of the several factors that impacts a patient's level of distress, is their fear of the diagnosis and their lack of information in the beginning their cancer journey. Understandably, many pat...

The diagnosis of cancer is a life-altering event which can cause a large amount of distress in patients. One of the several factors that impacts a patient's level of distress, is their fear of the diagnosis and their lack of information in the beginning their cancer journey. Understandably, many patients turn to easily accessible but disreputable resources, such as the internet, to learn and mentally prepare themselves for this journey. Friends and family members may also provide advice or recommendations which may not always be scientifically supported. Disreputable resources often have incorrect information that can scare or mislead a patient, which can severely impact their health and fight against cancer. In order to help patients fight these fears and become properly equipped for the cancer journey, care teams must address the education of patients, especially the education about the chemotherapy treatment process and potential side effects. The primary purpose of this pilot study is to determine the utility of a brochure to educate breast and gastrointestinal cancer patients undergoing cytotoxic chemotherapy about the side effects of treatment, in addition to providing them with tools and recommendations to lessen the impact of these side effects on their quality of life. A questionnaire-based approach and the Patient Education Material Assessment Tool (PEMAT) will be employed to evaluate participant's responses in a variety of domains, such as understandability, actionability, and utility of the brochure. The Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS) will be used to capture the specific chemotherapy side effects that each patient is experiencing throughout their treatment. Emotional Thermometer Scales (ETS) will be utilized to assess patients' feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, and distress at the beginning and end of their treatment. Survey questions will be utilized at interval time points (baseline plus 6 and 12 weeks) to evaluate the overall impact of the brochure on their quality of life and symptom management. All patients will receive the brochure and fill out the associated assessment scales and tools. The investigator's hypothesis is that a brochure providing information and tools to address the side effects of breast and gastrointestinal cancer cytotoxic chemotherapy will have utility in cancer clinics and allow patients to improve their quality of life by following the scientifically supported recommendations within the brochure.

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