Nurses' Knowledge, Attitude and Compliance With Intervention Guidelines for Patients’ With Chemotherapy-induced Nausea and Vomiting at Kenyatta National Hospital

Abstract

Back Ground: Nausea and vomiting is one of the distressing symptoms that patients receiving chemotherapy face. Majority of patients on chemotherapy experience chemotherapy-Induced nausea and vomiting that have debilitating effects on patients’ health if not treated. Although antiemetic drugs and interventions guidelines are available in health care, there are many inconsistencies between nursing practice and what the guidelines recommend. This leads to under treatment of the symptoms and affects patients’ complete relief of symptoms. Broad Objective: The aim of this study was to establish nurses’ knowledge, attitude and compliance with intervention guidelines for patients with chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. Methodology: A descriptive cross sectional study was conducted among nurses’ working at Cancer Treatment Center and Oncology wards at Kenyatta National Hospital. A calculated sample size of 73 nurses was drawn using stratified random sampling method and data were collected for a period of 4 weeks using self –administered questionnaires. STATA version 14 was used for entry of research data and analysis. Descriptive statistics were presented in text and frequency tables. Measurement of association between independent and dependent variables was ascertained using chi-square analysis and linear regression analysis. Results: Nurses working in oncology wards and Cancer Treatment Centre demonstrated moderate level of knowledge with mean knowledge score of 75.93%, SD 8.60. Only half of the nurses demonstrated positive attitude (50.70%) while 84.5% responded compliance with intervention guidelines. The most cited challenges were unavailability of drugs, guidelines and lack of time for patient follow up. There was a strong association between knowledge and level of compliance (P-value=0.000), (Cramer’s V= 0.4687) and a weak association between attitude and level of compliance (P-value=0.024), (Cramer’s V= 0.2685). Conclusion: Trainings and seminars are recommended for nurses to update their knowledge on management of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.