title: The Use of a Brochure to Enable CAM-with-Chemotherapy Patient Education.
abstract: The majority of cancer patients receiving chemotherapy will consider taking complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) during their treatment. As biologically-active CAM may detrimentally interfere with chemotherapy treatment, cancer patients require evidence-based information on chemotherapy-CAM integration consequences. This study aimed to assess if the availability of a purpose-designed brochure within a cancer service aided doctors' discussions with their patients on CAM use and helped patients understand the effects of CAM during their chemotherapy treatment. Cancer care doctors consulting in an adult day unit completed a structured post-intervention feedback survey form (n = 17), and cancer patients receiving chemotherapy treatment were provided the brochure and completed the local health service consumer testing feedback form (n = 30). All cancer care doctors perceived a need for the brochure and recommended the brochure to their patients. All doctors thought the brochure made it easier for them to discuss CAM with their patients, and 59 % believed that it saved them time during patient consultations. Ninety percent of cancer patients reported the brochure had enough information to answer their CAM questions, and all patients thought the information was easy to read and understand. An evidence-based CAM-with-chemotherapy patient brochure was perceived to have enabled cancer care doctors to discuss CAM with their patients and to have answered patients' CAM questions.
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia. peter.smith@health.qld.gov.au.|Sunshine Coast Cancer Care Services, Nambour General Hospital, Nambour, Qld, 4560, Australia. peter.smith@health.qld.gov.au.
authors.forename: Peter J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Alexandra M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Clavarino
authors.affiliation: Sunshine Coast Cancer Care Services, Nambour General Hospital, Nambour, Qld, 4560, Australia.
authors.forename: Jeremy E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Long
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, 4072, Australia.
authors.forename: Kathryn J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Steadman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000009:adverse effects*; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010174:Pamphlets; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Chemotherapy; Complementary and alternative medicine; Patient education