Challenges nursing role on improving quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy

Breast cancer and chemotherapy are with complications that they can lead to reduce quality of life. One of the important tasks of oncology nurses is prevention، control of complications of cancer and its treatment. The aim of this study was to investigate challenges nursing role on improving quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

This study was a cross sectional descriptive-analytic research that was done in 2013 in two educational hospitals in Shahrekord and Isfahan. Samplings were collected from 45 nurses by purposive sampling. Data were collected by demographic questionnaires and nursing role questionnaires on improving the quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

High and hard procedures such as venipuncture، nursing staff shortage، low importance by managers to assess and improve the quality of life، and lack of quality of life assessment form in ward، respectively are the main obstacles. In other words، the most problems are in the field of execution- management (%42)، individual-nurse (%21)، individual-patient (%14)، education (%13)، and equipment-environment (%10)، respectively. Then، strategies for holding training courses for managers، and providing quality of life assessment form to consider the evaluation of nursing education with higher points were obtained. Finally، strategy of “Empowerment of nurse managers «was suggested as the best way to cover all strategies.

Most problems were reported in the executive management field. Therefore، it is suggested that managers try to facilitate field of research and plan for the implementation of the» Empowerment of nurse managers«for improving quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.