A descriptive study to assess the knowledge regarding side effects of chemotherapy among cancer patients at Keshlata Hospital, Bareilly

Abstract

According to the National Cancer Institute, cancer encompasses a range of diseases originating in body cells, posing a severe and potentially life-threatening threat. Typically, cells divide orderly, but in cancer, this process falters, leading to the uncontrolled production of new cells forming tumors. A study aimed to evaluate cancer patients' awareness of chemotherapy side effects, utilizing a quantitative, pre-experimental design based on Modified King's conceptual framework. Methods: The research design selected for the study was a descriptive study and sample comprised a total of 300 samples. A purposive sampling technique was adopted. The tool used for data collection was a Structured Questionnaire. The content validity of the tool and the structured teaching programme was evaluated by 7 experts, all from the Nursing field. The reliability of the tool was computed by using the Split half method by applying Karl Pearson’s co-efficient of correlation and Spearman’s Brown prophecy formula. The reliability co-efficient of knowledge and practice was r =1 and r =0.90 respectively, revealing that the tool was feasible for administration in the main study. The data gathered were analysed and interpreted using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results: The socio-demographic profile of cancer patients revealed interesting patterns. Among the 300 patients, 38.7% were males, while 61.3% were females, indicating a female preponderance. A significant majority (85.7%) were married, with 6.0% unmarried and 8.3% single. Education-wise, 27.0% had primary education, 50.3% secondary, 12.3% higher secondary, 7.7% were graduates or above, and 2.7% had professional education. Occupationally, 41.4% were in heat-related fields, 13.3% in radiation, and 33.0% unrelated. The majority were associated with heat. Geographically, 50.7% were from rural areas, 49.3% from urban. 37.0% had a family history of cancer, while 63.0% did not. Recurrent infections were reported by 81.3%. The mean knowledge score was 14.74 ± 6.03. Notably, no statistical association was found between knowledge scores and demographic variables. Conclusion: The overall knowledge scores about the side effects of chemotherapy were average.