Investigation of Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Nausea and vomiting are the most important problems in patients undergoing chemotherapy, despite the recent improvements in the administration of antiemetic drugs. Through a review of the literature, we found that there are several nursing researches focusing on the effectiveness of interventions for the treatment of nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. The purpose of this study was to investigate the symptom of nausea and vomiting in patients undergoing chemotherapy. The study also investigated the impact of nausea and vomiting on patients' ability to respond to daily activities. The study is descriptive; the sample included patients with different types of cancer and receiving chemotherapy. The inclusion criteria were: the histological diagnosis of cancer, the administration of chemotherapy and the knowledge of the Greek language. The questionnaires used were: the MASCC (vomiting questionnaire), the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale and the scale of functional assessment of cancer therapy. Data collection took place in oncological hospitals of Thessaloniki and Athens in Greece. For statistical analysis we used the statistical package SPSS 15.0.