Iranian Journal of

Introduction: Anxiety, chemotherapy-related nausea, and vomiting are among the most distressing issues associated with cancer treatment. Given the prevalence of these side effects, the present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of educational-supportive intervention on the levels of anxiety, and the severity of nausea and vomiting related to chemotherapy in breast cancer patients in educational hospitals of Zahedan, Iran.
Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 70 women with breast cancer who were referred to educational hospitals in Zahedan, Iran, were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups of 35. In the intervention group, the researcher provided necessary training on common patient problems with emphasis on nausea, vomiting, and anxiety through three 45-60-minute sessions using Q&A, face-to-face education, pamphlets, and educational booklets. The Spielberger Anxiety Inventory and Rhodes Index of Nausea and Vomiting questionnaires were collected at the beginning of the study and six weeks after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS software (version 26) and the independent t-test.
Results: The results showed that in the intervention group, the difference in mean scores before and after the intervention for anxiety decreased from 29.3 ± 3.23 to 26.5 ± 3.29 (CI95%: [23.47–67.02]), and for nausea and vomiting, the scores decreased from 22.60 ± 14.2 to 11.25 ± 1.63 (CI95%: [4.32–28.34]), which was statistically significant (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Incorporating educational-supportive interventions into care programs can assist nurses and physicians in communicating more effectively with patients, thereby helping them manage anxiety and better control the side effects of their treatment. In addition to statistical significance, the reduction in mean scores indicates a clinically meaningful improvement in symptom severity, suggesting that the intervention had a tangible impact on reducing anxiety and nausea-vomiting in patients.