Lee, H., Lim, Y., Yoo, M. S., & Kim, Y. (2011). Effects of a nurse-led cognitive-behavior therapy on fatigue and quality of life of patients with breast cancer undergoing radiotherapy: an exploratory study. Cancer Nursing, 34, E22–E30.
To examine the effects of nurse-led cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) on fatigue and quality of life (QOL) experienced by patients with breast cancer who were currently undergoing radiotherapy.
An oncology nurse-led six-week intervention program that included cognitive restructuring, education about breast cancer and medical treatment, relaxation therapy, and rehabilitation exercise was offered to women receiving radiation therapy at a university hospital in Korea. Nurses who led the course attended the beginner’s course of CBT for 36 hours.
Single site
Patients were undergoing the active antitumor treatment phase of care.
The study used a quasiexperimental pre-/posttest design with a nonequivalent control group.
Levels of fatigue increased in both groups at the posttests. Increases in the levels of fatigue were greater in the control group than in the experimental group. Levels of QOL increased in the experimental group and decreased in the control group.
Nurse-led CBT did not show a significant effect in reducing the levels of cancer-related fatigue, although the increments of fatigue were significantly lower than the control group. Nurse-led CBT was effective in increasing QOL.
There is a role for oncology nurses to lead a structured cognitive-based intervention program to help alleviate cancer-related fatigue in women with breast cancer receiving radiotherapy.