title: Identifying patient symptoms after radiotherapy using a nurse-managed telephone interview.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify patients' symptoms following completion of radiotherapy for common cancers by a nurse-managed telephone interview.
  
  
  METHODS
  Quality assurance project.
  
  
  METHODS
  Radiation therapy department in a community hospital in a large midwestern city.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eleven patients treated by radiotherapy for primary cancer of the prostate, head/neck, lung, and breast.
  
  
  METHODS
  Two time points of data collection: nurses completed an end-of-treatment symptom evaluation within the last five days of treatment and conducted telephone interviews 14-21 days post-therapy. Interview questions were based on each individual's end-of-treatment symptoms and common site-specific side effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Symptoms at end of treatment and 14-21 days after therapy completion, nursing assessments and interventions, and length of telephone interview.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At the end of treatment, 104 (94%) patients were experiencing symptoms. Nurses contacted 106 (95%) patients by telephone 14-21 days after therapy completion and assessed symptoms in 84 (79%) patients. Nineteen (18%) patients reported the development of a new symptom. Nurses independently managed 95% of the calls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The majority of patients experienced symptoms in the immediate post-therapy period. Telephone follow-up interviews served as a mechanism for evaluating short-term morbidity and provided the opportunity for nurses to intervene with many patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A nurse-managed telephone follow-up program can be used as a component of a quality improvement process in radiation centers to assess patients' post-treatment symptoms and provide education and support.
authors.affiliation: Hollings Cancer Center, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, USA.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Rose
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Shrader-Bogen
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Korlath
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Priem
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Larson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000359:Aftercare / Q000379:methods; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000532:radiotherapy; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000532:radiotherapy; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015146:Midwestern United States; D009730:Nursing Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000532:radiotherapy; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013689:Telephone; D017749:Total Quality Management