Nausea/Vomiting and Self-care in Patients with Cancer on Chemotherapy

항암화학요법환자의 오심.구토 및 자가간호 실태

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence and self care practice for nausea/vomiting in patients with cancer during chemotherapy. Method: The participants were 100 patients with cancer over 20 years of age who visited the outpatient department or were hospitalized for chemotherapy Self care in the case of nausea and vomiting was measured by the Dodd's scale. Data were analyzed using the SAS program and the following statistics were used frequency, percentage, unpaired t test, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The ratio of the occurrence of nausea/ vomiting in the participants was 70.0%. The incidence of nausea/ vomiting was significantly higher for women than for men. The incidence of nausea/ vomiting was also higher for patients with cancer not in the gastro-intestinal system (GIS) compared to that for patients with GIS cancer. The incidence of nausea/ vomiting positively correlated with anorexia, skin injury, and fatigue. Conclusion: The ratio of occurrence of nausea/ vomiting for the participants was 70.0%. The incidence of nausea/ vomiting was higher fur women and patients with cancer not in the GIS. The incidence of nausea/ vomiting positively correlated with anorexia, skin injury, and fatigue. The results indicate that nausea/vomiting is a frequent symptom, particularly in women and there is a need to provide interventions to decrease the effects of this symptom.