Evaluation of patient specific care needs during treatment for head and neck cancer

Exploring the use of rehabilitation in individuals with head and neck cancer undergoing treatment: a scoping review

Explore the use, characteristics, feasibility, and functional outcomes of rehabilitation interventions used for individuals with head and neck cancer (HNC) during treatment.

Searches were conducted in four databases from Jan 2011 to Dec 31, 2022. Included studies had to include adults with HNC undergoing treatment, a rehabilitation intervention, an assessment of functional outcome(s) addressed by the International Classification of Functioning Framework (ICF) and be published in English language. Title and abstract screening, full-text review, and data extraction were completed independently, in duplicate. Descriptive statistics and a qualitative synthesis summarized findings.

Twenty-seven studies were included in this review. The majority of studies were randomized controlled trials (70%). Most individuals represented in the included studies were males (92% of all participants) between 50 and 60 years of age. Interventions led by a speech language pathologist (33%) were most commonly described. Sixteen studies (59%) described primary outcomes that fit the ICF "impairment" domain.

We identified few studies that explored the use, feasibility, and effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions for individuals with HNC during treatment. Future research should assess the effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions on functional outcomes beyond the ICF body function and structure domain.

Nursing effect of narrative nursing intervention on postoperative patients with severe lung cancer

BACKGROUND

Lung cancer is a common disease with high mortality, and psychological support is very important in the diagnosis and treatment of postoperative patients with cancer pain.

AIM

To explore the application effect of the narrative nursing method in postoperative lung cancer patients in the intensive care unit.

METHODS

A total of 120 patients diagnosed with lung cancer and experiencing cancer-related pain were randomly allocated into two groups: an observation group and a control group, each consisting of 60 cases. The control group was given routine analgesic and psychological care, while the research group applied the five-step narrative nursing method based on routine care, comparing the visual analogue scale scores, sleep status, anxiety and depression status, and quality of life of the two groups of patients before and after the intervention.

RESULTS

The pain scores, anxiety scores, and depression scores of the study group were lower than those of the control group after the intervention using the narrative nursing method, and the difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Using narrative nursing methods to intervene in patients with lung cancer combined with cancerous pain can help patients to correctly recognize their disease, adjust their mentality, establish confidence, alleviate patients' subjective pain feelings, and improve their adverse emotions.

THE MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM (MDT) IN THE TREATMENT OF HEAD AND NECK CANCER - A SINGLE-INSTITUTION EXPERIENCE

Head and neck cancers are associated with significant morbidity and mortality despite advancements in treatment in recent decades. A multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of these diseases is thus of essential importance and is becoming the gold standard. Head and neck tumors also endanger relevant structures of the upper aerodigestive tracts, including bodily functions such as voice, speech, swallowing, and breathing. Damage to these functions can significantly influence quality of life. Thus, our study examined not only the roles of head and neck surgeons, oncologists and radiotherapists, but also the importance of the participation of different scientific professions such as anesthesiologists, psychologists, nutritionists, stomatologists, and speech therapists in the work of a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Their participation results in a significant improvement of patient quality of life. We also present our experiences in the organization and work of the MDT as part of the Center for Head and Neck Tumors of the Zagreb Clinical Hospital Center.

Effect of Narrative Nursing Intervention Based on Targeted Nursing Intervention on Anxiety and Nursing Satisfaction of Patients with Malignant Tumors Undergoing Chemotherapy

Objective

To explore the effect of narrative nursing intervention based on targeted nursing intervention on anxiety and nursing satisfaction of patients with malignant tumors undergoing chemotherapy.

Methods

120 malignant tumor patients treated with chemotherapy in our hospital from January 2019 to January 2020 were selected as the research objects and randomly divided into group A and group B, with 60 cases in each group. The targeted nursing intervention was performed to group B, and the targeted nursing intervention centering on narrative nursing was performed to group A, so as to compare their distress thermometer (DT) scale scores, depression and anxiety scale scores, Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ) scores, Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) scores for quality of life, and nursing satisfaction.

Results

After nursing intervention, group A obtained 5.00 ± 1.20 points in the DT score, which were significantly lower than group B (P < 0.05); and group A achieved significantly lower depression and anxiety scale scores (P < 0.001), better MCMQ scores (P < 0.05), and higher FACT-G scores (P < 0.05) and nursing satisfaction (P < 0.05) than group B.

Conclusion

The targeted nursing intervention based primarily on narrative nursing can greatly reduce negative emotions, alleviate anxiety, and improve confidence in treatment and quality of life for malignant tumor patients undergoing chemotherapy, with higher nursing satisfaction, which should be promoted and applied in the practice.