Open AccessNausea, Vomiting, and Retching: Complex Problems in Palliative Care
Author(s) -
Rhodes Verna A.,
McDaniel Roxanne W.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
ca: a cancer journal for clinicians
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 62.937
H-Index - 168
eISSN - 1542-4863
pISSN - 0007-9235
DOI - 10.3322/canjclin.51.4.232
Subject(s) - retching , nausea , vomiting , medicine , palliative care , distress , intensive care medicine , chemotherapy , quality of life (healthcare) , palliative chemotherapy , anesthesia , nursing , clinical psychology
Patients with advanced cancer commonly experience nausea, vomiting, and/or retching (NVR) as a result of the malignant process and its treatment. Recently, increasing attention is being focused on end‐of‐life care, which includes relief or reduction of symptoms such as NVR. Pre‐chemotherapy preparation and patient education in the palliative care setting are essential to preventing acute and delayed distress from NVR, as well as anticipatory symptoms. Careful assessment of chemotherapy‐related symptoms should distinguish between the three phenomena rather than taking a global approach. Strategies for preventing anticipatory nausea, for instance, may differ significantly from those designed to reduce frequency of vomiting. Management of anticancer treatment‐related NVR should incorporate both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic approaches, whenever appropriate, with the overall goal of improving and/or maintaining the patient's quality of life.