Abstract
Purpose: Cancer patients experience a range of physical and psychological sequelae. Consistent nursing support should be provided along the cancer treatment path. This study aimed to i)examine the effects of a telephone counseling program after discharge on perceived health, psychological well-being, and satisfaction with nursing services, and ii)describe symptom distress and their coping methods. Method: The study was a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent pre-post test. The sample included 20 women with gynecologic cancer in the experimental group and the same in the control group from a university hospital in Seoul. The telephone intervention was given once from 5 to 7 days after the chemotherapy. The General Well-Being Schedule and Symptom Distress Scale were used. Result: An effect from telephone counseling was found only in the vitality subscale of psychological well-being. Other subscores, perceived health, or satisfaction with nursing services did not differ between the two groups. Pain, skin change, decreased appetite, and constipation were the major symptoms and a relatively few coping strategies were utilized. Conclusion: Protocol of telephone counseling led by a nurse needs to be further developed in regard to best timing, amount, and target effects for follow-up care of gynecologic cancer patients.
