Evidenced-based Clinical Practice Guideline to Address Cancer-Related Fatigue to Improve Compliance with Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy
Date of Conferral
10-16-2023
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
School
Nursing
Advisor
Joan Hahn
Abstract
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a perilous issue among cancer patients as it affects treatment adherence and lowers the quality of life. The problem identified in this project was the lack of an evidence-based clinical practice guideline (CPG) on identifying CRF among patients and their poor treatment adherence with cancer due to fatigue. Addressing the problem is important in the nursing practice to promptly identify and treat CRF among patients and improve treatment adherence. The project was conducted to establish the most effective evidence to guide the development of a CPG for effective interventions on early detection and management of CRF compared to standard practice to reduce the rate of poor treatment adherence among patients with cancer. The Iowa and Orem self-care theories were used as the scientific underpinning for the project. An extensive literature review was conducted to obtain evidence to develop the CPG, and the articles' quality was assessed. The Appraisal of Guidelines for Research & Evaluation (AGREE) II tool was used by four nurse practitioners as expert panelists to assess the quality and applicability of the CPG across 23 items in six domains. An overall mean domain score of 87.2% was attained, revealing that the CPG was reviewed as a high-quality guideline. The mean overall quality score was 6.5 on a Likert scale from 1 (lowest) to 7 (highest) with 100% (n = 4) recommending using the CPG in their practice without any modification to screen and treat CRF among patients with cancer and in active treatment. The CPG has the potential for positive social change by improving treatment adherence and reducing the rate of treatment dropout by frequent screening, monitoring, and conducting follow-ups.
Recommended Citation
Wimes, Yada M., "Evidenced-based Clinical Practice Guideline to Address Cancer-Related Fatigue to Improve Compliance with Chemotherapy and Radiation Therapy" (2023). Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies. 14972.
https://scholarworks.waldenu.edu/dissertations/14972
