Research ArticleResearchPatient Education

A nurse-led nutrition program left more chemo patients free of diarrhea and constipation in an early trial

European Journal of Oncology Nursing (PubMed)Jul 2, 2026

AI-summarized from the linked source. Educational brief, not medical advice.

Brief summary

In a 12-week pilot randomized trial in Vietnam, a nurse-led nutritional self-management program left significantly more chemotherapy patients free of diarrhea and constipation at 3 to 4 weeks than usual care, and it proved highly feasible and acceptable.

What NurseJet pulled from the source

This pilot randomized study tested a co-designed, nurse-led nutritional support program for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID) and constipation (CIC) among adult cancer patients in Vietnam. The 12-week intervention combined face-to-face education, a culturally tailored booklet, personalized dietary support, promotion of self-management strategies, and weekly telephone follow-up. Feasibility was strong, with a 94.1% recruitment rate and 98.8% completion, and acceptability was high, with all participants attending education sessions, 95% completing telephone support, and over 80% adopting the recommended self-management strategies. At weeks 3 to 4, the intervention group had a significantly higher proportion of patients free from both CID and CIC (53.8% vs 27.5%, p=0.01) and free from constipation alone (74.4% vs 45%, p=0.01), with improvements sustained at week 12 in a sub-sample of intervention participants.

Why this matters for nurses

Diarrhea and constipation are common, distressing chemotherapy side effects that can erode nutrition and force treatment changes, yet non-drug options are under-studied. This study may matter for nurses because it tests a low-cost, nurse-led package of education, diet support, and phone follow-up that patients readily took up and that eased these symptoms early on.

Bedside takeaway

Worth knowing that in a small pilot trial, a nurse-led nutrition support program left more chemotherapy patients free of diarrhea and constipation at 3 to 4 weeks (about 54% vs 28%) than usual care.

Key takeaways

At 3 to 4 weeks, more intervention patients were free of both diarrhea and constipation than usual-care patients (53.8% vs 27.5%, p=0.01).
Freedom from constipation alone was also higher in the intervention group (74.4% vs 45%, p=0.01).
The program was highly feasible (94.1% recruitment, 98.8% completion) and acceptable (over 80% adopted self-management strategies).
Gains were sustained at 12 weeks within a sub-sample, and the authors call for a fully powered randomized controlled trial.

Practice implications

For oncology nurses, the findings suggest that a structured, nurse-led program of dietary education, self-management coaching, and regular telephone follow-up can help chemotherapy patients manage diarrhea and constipation and is well accepted by patients. Because this was a small pilot, any such program should be pursued through the treating team rather than adopted as established practice.

Limitations & cautions

This was a single-country pilot randomized trial designed to test feasibility rather than to prove effectiveness, so the sample was small and the 12-week outcomes came from a sub-sample of intervention participants only. The culturally tailored, low-resource design may not transfer directly to other settings, and the authors state that a fully powered randomized controlled trial is still needed.
AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations

Exact source links

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European Journal of Oncology Nursing (PubMed)

European Journal of Oncology Nursing (PubMed). A nurse-led self-management nutritional support intervention for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea and constipation in patients with cancer: A pilot study.

Open original source

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42407415/

Professional education only

This summary does not replace clinical judgment, facility policy, provider orders, or official guidelines. Verify practice changes against the original source and local protocol.

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AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

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