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Review

Patient experiences with oral mucositis caused by chemo-/radiotherapy: a critical qualitative literature review

by
Daniela Zanolin
1,
Christine Widmer
2 and
Eva-Maria Panfil
3,*
1
Vorarlberg Institute for Vascular Investigation and Treatment, Hospital Feldkirch, Feldkirch, Austria
2
Canton Hospital of St. Gallen, Department of Oncology, St. Gallen, Switzerland
3
University of Applied Sciences, Bern, Switzerland
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Nurs. Rep. 2014, 4(1), 3647; https://doi.org/10.4081/nursrep.2014.3647
Submission received: 9 April 2014 / Revised: 24 June 2014 / Accepted: 24 June 2014 / Published: 16 September 2014

Abstract

Mucositis is one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. In order to develop an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the management of tumor therapy-induced-oral mucositis, it was necessary to capture the patients’ perspective. Therefore the aim of this critical literature review was to explore the experience of patients with therapy-induced-oral mucositis. Searches were carried out using a systematic search strategy in CINAHL and Medline. Qualitative studies investigating the view of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy and suffering from oral mucositis were included. Study selection and quality assessment were performed by two independent reviewers. Only two qualitative studies (n=28 patients) met the inclusion criteria. Oral mucositis caused by cancer therapy is associated with serious complications concerning pain, eating, swallowing, speaking, sadness, lack of energy, and distress. Mucositis was described as the worst side effect of cancer therapy. Providing patient-centered care requires understanding the experience and the needs of patients and their families. Mucositis is associated with complex physical, psychological and social consequences. Unfortunately, both studies were performed in different cultural backgrounds and health care systems, so the results cannot simply be transferred to German-speaking countries. Further research is needed to gain a deeper understanding of living with mucositis.
Keywords: cancer; neoplasm; oral mucositis; experiences; review cancer; neoplasm; oral mucositis; experiences; review

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MDPI and ACS Style

Zanolin, D.; Widmer, C.; Panfil, E.-M. Patient experiences with oral mucositis caused by chemo-/radiotherapy: a critical qualitative literature review. Nurs. Rep. 2014, 4, 3647. https://doi.org/10.4081/nursrep.2014.3647

AMA Style

Zanolin D, Widmer C, Panfil E-M. Patient experiences with oral mucositis caused by chemo-/radiotherapy: a critical qualitative literature review. Nursing Reports. 2014; 4(1):3647. https://doi.org/10.4081/nursrep.2014.3647

Chicago/Turabian Style

Zanolin, Daniela, Christine Widmer, and Eva-Maria Panfil. 2014. "Patient experiences with oral mucositis caused by chemo-/radiotherapy: a critical qualitative literature review" Nursing Reports 4, no. 1: 3647. https://doi.org/10.4081/nursrep.2014.3647

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