PATIENT EDUCATION: PREPARING THE PATIENT FOR CHEMOTHERAPY

Course overview

Prechemotherapy patient education involves introducing patients and family members to chemotherapy – its purpose, the patient’s specific chemotherapy agents, when and how they will be administered, safe handling of cytotoxic drugs and body fluids, and how to prevent and/or manage adverse effects such as nausea, vomiting, fatigue, alopecia, diarrhea, and mucositis. This continuing education module is designed to give the reader/learner an increased understanding of the process for providing patient education about chemotherapy preparation. Readers may explore any or all of the topics. One contact hour of continuing education credit is available for those who successfully complete the post-test and evaluation form.