title: Nurse-led follow-up care for head and neck cancer patients: a quasi-experimental prospective trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to compare conventional medical follow-up with follow-up containing additional nursing consultations regarding the psychosocial adjustment and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of head and neck cancer patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a quasi-experimental design, patients were enrolled consecutively into two groups. Experimental care covered six 30-min bimonthly nursing follow-up consultations during the first year posttreatment. Data were collected at posttreatment months 1 (baseline), 6, and 12 for both groups.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The intervention group was significantly worse at baseline, based on two of the seven adjustment scales and on the majority of HRQOL scales. However, their outcome at 6 and 12 months was consistent with that of the group which received conventional follow-up. Thus, the intervention group had a larger improvement in scores, and this was significant for one of the seven adjustment scales and 19 of the 33 HRQOL scales at 6 and 12 months, respectively. Most of the differences in HRQOL scales were clinically relevant at 6 months.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that nurse-led consultations for patients with head and neck cancer have a positive effect, primarily with respect to HRQOL. Nurse-led follow-up leads to a similar psychosocial adjustment as conventional follow-up, even among patients who showed worse performance at the start of follow-up. Thus, nurse-led follow-up may be a cost-effective way to improve follow-up care for this patient group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. J.deLeeuw@kno.umcn.nl
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Leeuw
authors.forename: Judith B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Prins
authors.forename: Steven
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Teerenstra
authors.forename: Matthias A W
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Merkx
authors.forename: Henri A M
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Marres
authors.forename: Theo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: van Achterberg
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003266:Continuity of Patient Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D005260:Female; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D055815:Young Adult