Background: To investigate the efficacy of individualized symptom management based on patients' self-reports during interventional therapy (IT) for liver cancer.
Methods: Patients with liver cancer who recieved IT from April to August 2019 were assigned to either the intervention (n=70) or control group (n=70). The control group received routine nursing care and the intervention group received a nursing management program. The severity of specific symptoms, as measured by the Karnofsky Performance Scale (KPS), and satisfaction with nursing care, were analyzed.
Results: Compared to the control group, patients given individualized management experienced significantly less severe pain, nausea, anxiety, and fatigue (p < .05). The scores for KPS and satisfaction with care were both significantly improved in the intervention group than in the control group (p < .05).
Conclusion: This high-quality nursing management program predicated on patients' self-reports is worthy of clinical application and popular adoption.
Keywords: high-quality nursing; interventional therapy; liver cancer; patient-reported outcomes; symptom management.