Background
Children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia often experience various physical and psychological symptoms during chemotherapy. Previous studies have used predetermined symptom inventories to analyze the complex relationships between these symptoms, which has certain limitations.
Objective
The aim of this study was to explore the dynamic changes in symptom clusters among children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia during chemotherapy using electronic nursing records.
Methods
Electronic nursing records for 2021 (N = 14 490) were obtained from a pediatric hematology department. A natural language processing tool was used to identify the presence of 46 symptoms in 3 chemotherapy phases of induction, consolidation, and maintenance. Incidence of symptom documentation was calculated by notes and patients, and principal component analysis and cluster analysis were performed for symptoms with an incidence above 15%.
Results
The most common symptoms included bleeding, cough, and vomiting. The number of symptom clusters in each chemotherapy period was 7, 6, and 4, respectively. There were upper gastrointestinal, respiratory system, lower gastrointestinal, skin-related, psychological, self-image disorder, and other discomfort symptom clusters in the induction period. Notably, the upper gastrointestinal, respiratory system, lower gastrointestinal, and skin-related symptom clusters persisted through the consolidation and maintenance periods. Neurological and other discomfort symptom clusters were observed during the consolidation period.
Conclusion
Symptom clusters of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia at various stages of chemotherapy showed a certain level of stability and dynamics, informing healthcare providers in developing continuous symptom management.
Implications for Practice
Medical staff should explore targeted intervention programs based on characteristics of symptom clusters at different chemotherapy stages, to improve the efficiency of symptom management and alleviate the symptom burden of children.
