Oncology nurses’ knowledge, practice, and confidence toward chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy in Jordan

Abstract

Objectives:To assess the knowledge, practice, and confidence of oncology nurses toward chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) among patients with cancer in Jordan.Methods:Descriptive, and cross sectional study was conducted on a convenience sample of 148 Jordanian registered oncology nurses recruited from a Specialized Oncology Center in Jordan. Data collection took place in June, 2015. As a data collection tool, the assessment of oncology nurses’ knowledge and practice-revised questionnaire was used.Results:The mean CIPN knowledge score of 8.98/16 (SD=1.9) indicated that there were knowledge deficits regarding CIPN among Jordanian oncology nurses. Only 58.8% of the subjects indicated that CIPN assessment is necessary for their oncology practices, but the majority rated their CIPN assessment skills as inadequate. Neurologic physical assessment usually is not included in practices assessment. In addition, 57.1% believed that CIPN was a significant problem for patients and their families.Conclusion:There is a significant requirement to enhance the neurological assessment skills of oncology nurses and an efficient approach to CIPN assessment is demanded. Creating guidelines to manage and assess CIPN, and further investigations in different health institutions to generalize the results across Jordan are highly needed.

Clinician and patient experiences when providing and receiving information and support for managing chemotherapy‐induced peripheral neuropathy: A qualitative multiple methods study

“…Instead of working in silos, clinicians should consider a multi‐disciplinary approach and collaboration to develop a cohesive, proactive and individualised CIPN patient care plan. Consistent with earlier studies (Al‐Atiyyat & Banifawaz, 2018 ; Binner et al, 2011 ; Smith et al, 2014 ), clinicians reported limited knowledge and understanding about CIPN, especially among junior clinicians. This led to difficulties and challenges providing support and over reliance on oncologists for managing CIPN symptoms.…”

“…The findings highlight the need for better connectedness of CIPN support and communication. Echoing findings from earlier studies (Al‐Atiyyat & Banifawaz, 2018 ; Binner et al, 2011 ; Smith et al, 2014 ; Taylor & Tanay, 2020 ), clinicians in our study emphasised the need for a clear treatment and action plan for CIPN. An organisational protocol for addressing issues was lacking.…”

“…For example, actual patient experiences and descriptions of CIPN might add value and clarity for future patient and clinician psychoeducational interventions.The findings highlight the need for better connectedness of CIPN support and communication. Echoing findings from earlier studies(Al-Atiyyat & Banifawaz, 2018;Binner et al, 2011;Smith et al, 2014;Taylor & Tanay, 2020), clinicians in our study emphasised the need for a clear treatment and action plan for CIPN. An organisational protocol for addressing issues was lacking.Clinicians missed opportunities to refer patients to CIPN services due to limited awareness of what was available.…”

“…An American study which analysed audio‐recordings of outpatient clinic consultations showed that clinicians discussed and documented CIPN in less than half of their clinical encounters with patients at risk of developing CIPN (Knoerl et al, 2019 ). Studies indicate that nurses reported they lacked CIPN‐specific knowledge (Al‐Atiyyat & Banifawaz, 2018 ; Binner et al, 2011 ) alongside limited understanding of the neurotoxic nature of particular chemotherapies and evidence‐based CIPN management (Smith et al, 2014 ). In one UK survey with multi‐disciplinary clinicians, participants reported they lacked knowledge of CIPN local services, and most reported dissatisfaction with current local CIPN management (Taylor & Tanay, 2020 ).…”

Challenges of Neuropathy Screening for Preventing Diabetic Foot Ulcers: Perspectives of Public Health Nurses in Indonesia

“…Although, PHNs have crucial aspects to prevent foot ulcer. Another study also confirmed that lack of knowledge and skill among PHNs could impact on quality of health care services [13,14]. Some evidence DOI 10.18502/kls.v7i2.10287 also reported that sufficient knowledge on diabetes management was associated with perceived barriers in blood glucose monitoring [15], and medication adherence [16].…”