Nurse-Led Telephonic Symptom Support for Patients Receiving Chemotherapy.

The use of evidence-informed symptom guides has not been widely adopted in telephonic support. This is a descriptive study of nurse-led support using evidence-based symptom guides during telephone outreach. Documentation quantified telephone encounters by frequency, length, and type of patient-reported symptoms. Nurse interviews examined perceptions of their role and the use of symptom guides. Quantitative data were summarized using univariate descriptive statistics, and interviews were analyzed using directed descriptive content analysis. Symptom guides were viewed as trusted evidence-based resources, suitable to address common treatment-related symptoms. A threshold effect was a reported barrier of the guides, such that the benefit diminished over time for managing recurring symptoms. Telephone outreach using evidence-based symptom guides can contribute to early symptom identification while engaging patients in decision making. Understanding nurse activities aids in developing an economical and high-quality model for symptom support, as well as in encouraging nurses to practice at the highest level of preparation.