Comparison of symptom distress ranking between oncology nurses and pediatric patients receiving chemotherapy

BackgroundTo manage chemotherapy-induced symptoms in pediatric oncology patients and increase children's quality of life, it is important to determine which chemotherapy-induced symptoms are perceived as distressing by nurses and children. Existing literature does not compare these perceptions, emphasizing the need for targeted research.This study aimed to identify and compare which chemotherapy induced symptoms perceived as distressing for pediatric oncology patients and pediatric oncology nurses.MethodsThis cross-sectional and descriptive study was conducted in three main university hospitals in Türkiye from January 2023 to December 2023. The study involved 122 pediatric oncology patients and 139 pediatric oncology nurses. Data collection was utilized by Children's Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale was used for ranking distress perception of the symptoms.ResultsBoth pediatric oncology patients and nurses ranked lack of energy, pain, nausea, feeling nervous, and feeling drowsy as the five most stressful symptoms. Pediatric oncology nurses reported more distress ranking for these symptoms: nausea (p=0.018), dry mouth (p=0.027), cough (p=0.030), mouth sores (p<0.001), and difficulty swallowing (p=0.003), compared to pediatric oncology patients. Pediatric oncology patients reported more distress ranking for feeling nervous (p=0.016), weight loss (p=0.003), constipation (p=0.014), and swelling of arms/legs (p<0.001).ConclusionsThe ranking of distressing chemotherapy-induced symptoms perceived by pediatric oncology nurses and patients was mostly similar.Legal entity responsible for the studyThe authors.FundingHas not received any funding.DisclosureAll authors have declared no conflicts of interest.