Effects of Telephone Counseling Support on Distress, Anxiety, Depression, and Adverse Events in Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

초록

Purpose: This study is aimed at identifying the effects of telephone counseling as nursing support on distress, anxiety, depression, and adverse events in cancer patients undergoing their first chemotherapy. Methods: This was a randomized controlled trial (pretestposttest design). A total of 70 patients who showed 4 or higher distress scores were selected from the screening process. Four patients dropped out; therefore, 66 patients participated in this research. Thirty-two and 34 patients were randomly assigned to the experimental and the control group, respectively. After a preliminary survey, telephone counseling support was given to the experimental group at three time points. The post survey was done before the second cycle of chemotherapy. Results: Regarding distress, both groups showed a statistically significant decrease in the scores: 3.4 for the experimental group and 1.8 for the control group (p=.002). Furthermore, the experimental group demonstrated a statistically significant decrease relative to the control group. Anxiety and depression showed no statistically significant difference between the two groups. Conclusion: This study concludes that nursing support through phone counseling is effective in decreasing distress in patients undergoing chemotherapy for the first time.

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