Hiccups in Cancer Patients Receiving Chemotherapy: A Cross-Sectional Study

CONTEXT

Hiccups are a symptom in cancer patients but it's less researched.

OBJECTIVES

The aimed to determine of prevalence of hiccups and treatment approach used in hiccup management in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy for nursing care.

METHODS

This study used a descriptive cross-sectional design with self-reported questionnaires and was conducted from November 2018-May 2019 in Turkey. For collection of the data, a Patient Information Form (sociodemographic and disease characteristics), and a Hiccups Evaluation Form were used for the patients.

RESULTS

Hiccups were observed in 37 (23%) of the 160 patients who met the criteria for inclusion in the study. The great majority of the patients suffering from hiccups were male (65.9%) and the type of cancer in the majority of these patients was gastrointestinal cancer (54.1%). It was determined that the duration of hiccups in 83.8% of patients observed with hiccups was between 0 and 48 hours, that the average severity of their hiccups was 3.81 ± 2.25 (0-10), and that hiccups in 59.5% of these patients was of low severity. It was found that only 10.8% of patients suffering from hiccups used pharmacological methods for relief and that 27% used nonpharmacological methods.

CONCLUSION

The results of the study showed that over one-fifth of cancer patients suffered from hiccups. This situation reveals that hiccups are an important symptom that needs to be carefully emphasised in oncology practice.

Psychometric validation of the Turkish version of the Supportive Care Needs Survey for Partners and Caregivers (SCNS-P&C-T) of cancer patients

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the validity and reliability study of the Supportive Care Needs Survey for partners and caregivers of cancer patients in Turkish society (SCNS-P&C-T).

METHODS

This cross-sectional survey followed by a test-retest reliability and psychometric validation study was conducted with 270 participants. The research data were collected using a patient and caregiver demographic survey, the SCNS-P&C-T, the Caregiver Strain Index, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

RESULTS

Ten expert opinions were found to be consistent for content validity of the scale (I-CVI = 0.993, S-CVI = 0.956). The confirmatory factor analysis could not confirm the factor structure of the original scale. Therefore, an exploratory factor analysis was performed and the scale factor structure was determined. These factor structures are (a) psychological and emotional needs, (b) health care and information, (c) work and social needs, (d) communication and family needs.

CONCLUSION

The SCNS-P&C-T is a valid and reliable tool which can be used to identify unmet needs among caregivers in Turkish populations.