INTRODUCTION:

The uncontrolled growth of these abnormal cells can occur anywhere in our body and these abnormal cells termed as cancer cells, malignant cells, or tumour cells. These cells can infiltrate normal body tissues and thus become a mass of cancer cells. Chemotherapy drugs can be live saving to the patients with cancerbut dangerous to those who handling an administrating the drugs.¹ Only personal who have been trained in administrating chemotherapy should be handling the drugs. Each drug will have a list 22 of doses, route of administration, drug interactions, laboratory requirements etc. Hence it is very essential to have knowledge on chemotherapy and chemotherapy protocol among final year general nursing and midwifery students.²

STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM:

Effectiveness of structured teaching program on knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocolamongfinal year general nursingand midwifery students at selected schools of nursing sciences at Bengaluru.

NEED AND SIGNIFICANCE:

Cancer is one of the most common diseases in this modern world, one in four deaths are due to cancer. Each type of cancer is unique with its own causes, symptoms, hence it is vital to modify the combination treatment regimens. Among that most widely applicable type is chemotherapy. Chemotherapy treatments are used to inhibit vigorously growing malignant cells with anticancer agents. This type of therapy is used to cure and try a patient to produce palliative relief and symptomatic relaxation in the advance stages of cancer.A descriptive study surveyed the number of cancer cases which required chemotherapy in 2018, and to what extent such cases are likely to increase by 2040. It estimates that the number of cancer cases necessitating first-line chemotherapy treatment will increase by 53%, from 9.8 million in 2018 to 15 million in 2040. 67% 21 of such patients will reside in low- or middle-income countries. In response to increased demand for chemotherapy, the workforce with proper knowledge on chemotherapy and its administration protocol is very essential.³

OBJECTIVES:

1. To assess the pre-test level of knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol among general nursing and midwifery students.

2. To assess the post-test level of knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol among final year general nursing and midwifery students

3. To determine the effectiveness of structured teaching program regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol

4. To determine the association between pre-test level of knowledge with selected socio – demographic variables.

HYPOTHESES:

H1: There will be significant difference between the mean pre-test and post test scores of knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol.

H2: There will be a statistical association between pre-test knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol and selected demographic variables.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE:

Literature related to safe handling of chemotherapeutic drugs:

A descriptive study was conducted by Devi Sarita et al. on practices regarding safe handling of chemo-therapeutic drugs among nursing personnel of tertiary level care in ali Aghazadeh Kerman in 2018. The total samples were 60 selected by convenient sampling technique. The data was collected through self-reporting rating scale. The study reveals that the majority of nursing personnel 51.7% had average practices regarding safe handling of chemotherapeutic drugs. The statistically highly significant association was found between practices regarding safe handling of chemotherapeutic drugs and oncology work experience of nursing personnel, and challenge in safe handling of chemotherapeutic drugs. The study concludes that the present study reveals that there were average practices regarding safe handling of chemotherapeutic drugs among nursing personal of tertiary care hospital in India.⁴

Literature related to knowledge of nursing personnel regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol:

A descriptive study was conducted by Anil Vijayan on knowledge regarding prevention of infections in patients receiving cancer chemotherapy among nursing students in Bhubaneshwar in December 2019. The total samples were 60 selected by non-probability convenient sampling technique. The data was collected through structured knowledge questionnaire with demographic data. The study reveals that among the study participants maximum number of subjects 50% were in the age group of below 20 years and around 95% were females. Among the 60 subjects 66.7% had moderately adequate knowledge, 33.3% of them had inadequate knowledge and no one had adequate knowledge. The study concludes that the mean knowledge score of students are 40.93%. Findings of the study shows on association between the knowledge score of nursing students with demographic variable such as exposure to the mass media.⁵

Literature related to structured teaching program on knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol:

A Pre-experimental study was conducted by Chitahuri Stella on effectiveness of structured teaching program on knowledge regarding safe handling and administration of chemotherapeutic drugs among staff nurses in SIMS hospital, Chennai in 2018. The total number of samples were 30 selected through purposive sampling technique. the structured interview schedule was used to collect the data. The study reveals that the pre-test knowledge level of mean was assessed among staff nurses, mean was 11.58 standard deviation was 1.22 that shows the staff nurses were in poor knowledge. After structured teaching program, the post-test knowledge level of mean was 21.2, and standard deviation was 1.68 that shows the staff nurses knowledge level was highly improved. And difference in mean percentage of pre and post-test knowledge level was 39% and difference in mean percentage it seems to be the study was effective to the staff nurses regarding safe handling and administration of chemotherapy drugs. The study concludes that structured teaching program on safe handling and administration of chemotherapeutic drugs was effective in improving the knowledge.⁶

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY:

Research approach and design:

A quantitative research approach was used with one group pretestposttest design.

Research setting:

The setting for the study was Viswasai college of nursing sciences, Bengaluru.

Sample and sampling technique:

The sample selected for this study was 50 final year General nursing and midwifery students who are studying at Viswasai college of nursing sciences, Bengaluru. Convenient sampling technique was used to select the samples.

Research tool:

Tool 2: Self structured knowledge questionnaire regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol.

Data collection procedure:

After getting approval from college f Nursing Sciences, Dayananda Sagaruniversity researcher selected the setting for study. Institutional consent was obtained from the principal of Viswasai college of nursing sciences, Bengaluru. Then the researcher selected the samples, 50 final year final year General nursing and midwifery students according to the sampling criteria using purposive sampling technique. Then the researcher explained the study to them and consent was obtained. On the first day itself pre-test was done using self- structured questionnaires. Then teaching was given regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol. On the 7th day post-test was done.

Data analysis:

The collected data were organised, tabulated and organised. The data analysis was done according to the objectives of the study. The researcher used descriptive and inferential statistics for data analysis.

RESULT:

1. Frequency and percentage wise distribution of pre-test score on knowledge regardingchemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol. N=50

Score percentage	Knowledge	Frequency	Percentage
<50	Inadequate	32	64%
51-75	Moderately adequate	18	36%
>75	Adequate	0	0%

2. Frequency and percentage distribution of post-test score on knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol. N=50

Score	Knowledge	Frequency	Percentage
<50	Inadequate	0	0%
51-75	Moderately adequate	14	28%
>75	Adequate	36	72%

3. Comparison of pretest and post-test score of knowledge among final

Test

Mean

‘t’

Level of significance

Pretest score

17.7

5.21

10.38

Post-test score

19.92

4.1

4. Association between pretest knowledge among final year GNM Students with selected demographic variables:

The analysis revealed that there was significant association established with the previous knowledge and sources of information at the level of p>0.05* level. There was no statistically significant association found with the demographic variables of age, religion, close family member with cancer with p>0.05*.

DISCUSSION:

Out of 50 sample, mean post-test score (19.92) is greater than the mean pre-test score (17.7) on knowledge regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocolamong final year GNM Students in selected schools of nursing sciences Bangalore. The ‘t’ value (10.83) is greater than the table value. Therefore, the structured teaching program was effective. Hence the research hypothesis was accepted. It shows that structured teaching program was effective to increase the knowledge of regarding chemotherapy and chemotherapy administration protocol among final year final year General nursing and midwifery students in selected schools of nursing sciences Bangalore.

RECOMMENDATION:

Based on the results of the present study, the following recommend are offered

· A smaller kind of study can be conducted for a large group.

· A similar study can be conducted among nurses who are working in cancer institutes.

CONCLUSION:

It was analysed that there is significant improvement in post-test knowledge scores of final year final year General nursing and midwifery Students. So the structured teaching program was effective. On computing the association between knowledge and selected demographic variables, it was found that there was significant association established with the previous knowledge and sources of information. There was no statistically significant association found with the demographic variables of age, religion, close family member with cancer.

REFERENCE:

1. Lewis medical surgical nursing, Assessment and management of clinical problems. 2nd edition. Reed Elsevier India pvt ltd. New Delhi 110-001. p.267.

2. Blecher. E. “Cancer Nursing”, Mosby’s. louis mirwar.1992. p.184.

3. Mayo clinic. Intravenous chemotherapy. Available from: https//www. Mayoclini.org/intravenous chemotherapy.

4. Cancer treatments; chemotherapy. (online)(cited 2011 nov 23); available form: http://www.cancer .org/cancer/treatment/chemo.

5. Chemotherapy: Role of oncology nurse during chemotherapy. Available from: https//chemotherapy-for cancer.blogspot.com/2011/07/role-of-oncology-nurse-duringhtml.

6. Chemotherapy treatments, chemotherapy guide. Available from: http//www.echemotherapytreatments.com/.

7. R. Deepa. Education on Prevention of Swine Flu among Early Adults in Sri Ramakrishna Arts and Science College, Coimbatore. Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research 1(1): Jan.-March 2011; Page 01-02.8.

8. Sheela Williams, Lisa J, Sarasvati. K. N. A Study to assess the Effectiveness of Structured Teaching Programme on Knowledge Regarding Polycystic Ovarian Disease among Adolescent Girls in Selected Colleges in Mysuru. Asian J. Nur. Edu. and Research.2017; 7(3): 371-375. doi: 10.5958/2349-2996.2017. 00074.X

Received on 10.02.2022 Modified on 24.05.2022

Asian J. Nursing Education and Research. 2022; 12(4):445-448.

DOI: 10.52711/2349-2996.2022.00096