Current Clinical Trials

Summary

This is a minimal risk pilot study, which intends to understand the multidimensional symptom experience, associated risk factors, and quality of life (QOL) of oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy. The researchers intend to enroll up to 100 patients with cancer who are receiving chemotherapy. 50 participants will be enrolled from the EMC oncology floor (3 East) and 50 receiving outpatient treatment at the Luci Curci Cancer Center. Patients will be asked to complete a determinants of health survey, a health literacy screening tool, symptom assessment scale, impact of events scale, and the EORTC QLQ-30 scale (QOL). Purpose/Specific Aims: Oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy often experience an average of 10 symptoms. This study aims to understand the multidimensional symptom experience, associated risk factors, and quality of life (QOL) of oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy. Study aims are bifold: first, to report the most prevalent, severe, and distressful symptoms in inpatients and outpatients and evaluate for associations between those symptoms and demographic and clinical characteristics, cancer-related stress, social determinants of health (SDOH), and QOL outcomes. Second, we will compare the symptom experience and risk factors between inpatients versus outpatients. Rationale/Significance of the Study: Symptoms rarely occur in isolation. In addition, certain risk factors, such as stress or certain SDOH, can worsen the symptom experience impacting these patients’ QOL negatively. While prior research has evaluated the multidimensional symptom experience mainly in oncology outpatients, no studies have performed a comparison of that experience between the inpatient and outpatient settings. In the broader context of nursing, this pilot study is significant as it can contribute to the field of personalized cancer care. Conceptual/Theoretical Framework: The Theory of Symptom Management will guide the proposed study. This model comprises three dimensions (i.e., symptom experience, symptom management strategies, outcomes) and three domains (i.e., person, environment, health) that warrant consideration when conceptualizing symptoms.

Official Title

Multidimensional Symptom Experience in Inpatients Versus Outpatients Undergoing Chemotherapy and Associations with Clinical Characteristics, Stress, Social Determinants of Health, and Quality of Life: A Pilot Comparative Study

Keywords

A sample of participants (n=100) with heterogeneous types of cancer will be recruited from the oncology inpatient unit (n=50) and the Cancer Center infusion clinic (n=50). While our target sample is larger, the sample size determination was based on a rec