Background: The nature of breast cancer (BC) and its treatment is such that it leads to physical and psychological complications. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the effect of supportive educational intervention on the perceived stress and severity of chemotherapy-related neuropathy in BC patients. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was carried out on 60 women suffering from BC in Zahedan, Iran, in 2020. The patients were selected using the convenience sampling method and randomly assigned into two groups of intervention and control. The patients in the intervention group received four 45-minute sessions about the common problems of BC on a weekly and individual basis. The control group received only routine ward care. Data collection tools were the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) developed by Cohen and Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) Pain Scale. Data were collected before the intervention and six weeks after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 22 software. Results: The results of independent t-test showed that the mean and standard deviation of perceived stress score in the intervention group decreased from 56.8 ± 5.92 to 50.36 ± 3.89 (P < 0.001), and in the control group decreased from 55.6 ± 3.65 to 54.8 ± 3.53 (P = 0.258). The mean and standard deviation of neuropathy severity score in the intervention group decreased from 12.90 ± 1.66 to 8.43 ± 2.16 (P < 0.001), and in the control group increased from 12.56 ± 2.28 to 13.03 ± 1.93 (P = 0.276). The independent t-test showed that after implementing the supportive educational intervention, there was a significant difference between the two groups in terms of mean and standard deviation of neuropathy severity score (P < 0.001). Conclusions: According to our results, supportive educational intervention reduced the perceived stress and severity of neuropathy. Thus, it is necessary to include these supportive interventions in educational and care programs to improve patients’ psychological status and reduce stress and neuropathy.

Background: Managing stress and improving the nutritional status of cancer patients can lead to better physical and mental conditions, more desirable treatment outcomes, and improved feelings and engagement in the treatment process. Objectives: This study sought to examine the effect of an educational-supportive intervention on the perceived stress and nutritional status of breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted on 80 women with breast cancer admitted to Khatam Al-Anbia (PBUH) and Ali Ibn Abi Talib (AS) hospitals affiliated with Zahedan University of Medical Sciences in 2022. Participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly divided into 2 intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, participants attended 4 training sessions focusing on the patients’ common problems, proper nutrition, and prescribed treatment. The training session was performed at the patient’s bedside and lasted 45 - 60 minutes. In the control group, patients received no intervention except for hospital routine training. Data were collected from both groups before and 6 weeks after the intervention using the Perceived Stress Scale and patient-generated subjective global assessment (PG-SGA). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 22 using the paired-samples t test, independent samples t test, and chi-square test. Data analysis was performed at a significance level of less than 0.05 (P < 0.05). Results: The mean perceived stress scores were changed from 52.250 ± 2.284 to 32.125 ± 7.390 in the intervention group and 51.475 ± 2.773 to 48.425 ± 2.011 in the control group. The mean perceived stress scores were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Moreover, the mean scores of the nutritional status were changed from 7.005 ± 41.40 to 1.94 ± 19.95 in the intervention group and 7.561 ± 40.58 to 5.177 ± 49.65 in the control group. The mean nutritional status scores were significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (P < 0.001). Conclusions: Given the positive effect of the educational-supportive intervention on reducing stress and improving nutritional status, these interventions can be incorporated into training and care programs to improve nutritional status and reduce stress in patients with breast cancer.