Nurses’ evaluation and education of chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy: A systematic review

BackgroundOncology treatment produce to patients many side effects, with some chemotherapy drugs capable of causing neurotoxic symptoms leading to chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). Many patients report symptoms on hands and feet, such as tingling, numbness, cramping and pain, which make even the simplest actions difficult: buttoning a shirt, holding a pen and writing, opening a bottle. CIPN frequently produce sensory and motor disorders, increase the risk of falls in cancer patients and limit social and daily activities. Scientific evidences don’t report a treatment that prevent or cure CIPN, so it became an important cause to delays oncology treatment and dose reduction. Nurses play an important role in the evaluation of CIPN symptoms and in the education the patient on strategies to reduce problems.MethodsA systematic review was conducted using Medline, PubMed, CINAHL and Scopus for articles published from 2013 to 2023. The search terms included cancer, chemotherapy peripheral neuropathy, peripheral nerve diseases. A total of 141 record were identified; after removing duplicates (16), titles and abstracts were examined, resulting in 17 articles deemed eligible. Two researchers independently reviewed the full texts of studies based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Studies were considered eligible if they included: a) cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, b) described the CIPN symptoms and c) published in English.ResultsFive major themes for the prevention and treatment of CIPN emerged from the results: 1) Exercise: is a feasible and supportive intervention for pain reduction and improvement of daily activities; 2) Education: provide patients with information about the management of adverse effects of chemotherapy that improves treatment compliance; 3) Alternative therapies and mindfulness: many randomized trial testify a reduction in CIPN symptoms; 4) Teleassistance: provides remote symptom monitoring and coaching; 5) Assessment scales: objectively express the severity of the CIPN.ConclusionsNurses support patients with education on CIPN risk-reducing measures. Moreover, nurses can implement the use of rating tools on CIPN to improve the assessment of this impactful side effect.Legal entity responsible for the studyThe authors.FundingHas not received any funding.DisclosureAll authors have declared no conflicts of interest.