Effects of Music Therapy on a Gastrointestinal and Fatigue Symptom Cluster in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy
Keywords:
มะเร็งเต้านม, เคมีบำบัด, กลุ่มอาการทางเดินอาหารและอาการเหนื่อยล้า, ดนตรีบำบัดAbstract
Breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy often experience a gastrointestinal and fatigue symptom cluster. This symptom cluster had the greatest impact on their quality of life. Music therapy is a safe and low-cost approach for symptom management. This quasi-experimental two-group comparative study aimed to examine the effects of music therapy on the severity and distress of the gastrointestinal and fatigue symptom cluster among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Fifty participants were randomly assigned to a control group (n = 25) receiving standard nursing care and an experimental group (n = 25) receiving standard care combined with music therapy for 30 minutes per day for 21 consecutive days after chemotherapy. Research instruments included a demographic questionnaire and a symptom severity and distress assessment form (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.92). Data were collected at baseline (D0), days 1–7 (D1–D7), day 14 (D14), and day 21 (D21). Data were analyzed using two-way repeated measures ANOVA. The results showed no significant differences between groups at baseline. After the intervention, the experimental group had significantly lower severity and distress scores than the control group (p < .001), and the pattern of change in distress differed significantly between groups over time (p < .05). In conclusion, the findings indicate that music therapy can be integrated as a nursing approach to enhance the management of a gastrointestinal and fatigue symptom cluster in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
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