Journal List > Asian Oncol Nurs > v.12(4) > 1081752

Kim and Jeong: Comparison of Perception of the Neutropenic Diet between Nurses and Patients

Abstract

Purpose

This descriptive study aimed to compare the perception of the acceptable foods for the neutropenic diet between nurses and patients by food type.

Methods

The participants were 225 nurses working at chemotherapy wards and 71 patients in chemotherapy treatment. Data were collected with a self-administered questionnaire from January 2 to February 24, 2012, and analyzed with SPSS 12.0 program using descriptive statistics and the χ2-test.

Results

Eighty-eight point eight percent of nurses and 76.1% of cancer patients thought the patients needed the neutropenic diets. The most important decisional criteria to determine dietary restriction was neutrophil count for nurses and food type for patients. The two groups showed significantly different allowance to raw fruits and raw vegetables, sterilized canned juice, fried vegetables, yogurt, uncooked tofu, salted fish, cooked fish, cooked shellfish, uncooked grain powder, jellified food, home-made bread/cookies, nuts including peanuts, instant coffee or tea and tea brewed. In general, patients were more permissive about the neutropenic diet than nurses.

Conclusion

It is recommended to consider patients' preference as well as nurses' professional knowledge and publish standardized clinical diet guidelines for neutropenic patients with collaboration between nurses and patient representatives.

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1
Decisional criteria to determine dietary restriction between nurses and patients.
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Fig. 2
Percent of allowed to eat by cooking type between nurses and patients.
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Table 1
Comparison of perception to allow fruits, vegetables and dairy products for neutropenic patients between nurses and patients (N=225)
aon-12-331-i001
Table 2
Comparison of perception to allow meats, meat substitutes and meal substittes for neutropenic patients between nurses and patients (N=225)
aon-12-331-i002

*Calculated by Fisher's exact test.

Table 3
Comparison of perception to allow snakes and drinks for neutropenic patients between nurses and patients (N=225)
aon-12-331-i003

Notes

This article is an addition based on the first author's master's thesis from Pusan National University.

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