Patients' use of prevention behaviors in managing side effects related to chemotherapy.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To describe the use of prevention and early detection behaviors related to the side effects of chemotherapy. DESIGN: Cross-sectional, descriptive, and secondary analysis. SETTING: A large university hospital and university-affiliated community hospital. SAMPLE: 46 adult patients with cancer starting a cycle of IV chemotherapy who were predominantly white, married, and female. METHODS: Self-report utilizing a 17-item, self-administered prevention and early detection questionnaire called the Prevention Behaviors Questionnaire (PBQ); questionnaires were completed two days and five days after treatment. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLE: Prevention and early detection behaviors. FINDINGS: Patients reported using an average of 8.8 prevention behaviors two days after chemotherapy and 9.2 behaviors five days after chemotherapy. "Tried to think more positively" was the most frequently used behavior. Internal consistency and test-retest correlation coefficients on the questionnaire were calculated to be 0.81 and 0.78, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The PBQ had adequate internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Patients reported using many prevention and detection behaviors, although very little is known about the efficacy of these behaviors in reducing or preventing the side effects of chemotherapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE: This exploratory study does not have direct implications for practice but identifies an area for future research that may affect what nurses teach patients and how they assist patients to cope with treatment.