MAIL-IN QUESTIONNAIRE FOR MONITORING NAUSEA AND VOMITING IN ONCOLOGY OUTPATIENTS

A patient questionnaire designed to help pharmacists monitor nausea an d vomiting in outpatients receiving cancer chemotherapy was studied. A 12-item questionnaire was designed by combining items from the Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Emesis (MANE) and the Functional Living Inde x-Emesis (FLIE). Items included number of vomiting episodes, duration of nausea, number of antiemetics, severity of nausea and vomiting, imp act on quality of life, and adverse effects. The questionnaire was pri nted on an addressed, postage-paid card. Over an eight-week period, ou tpatients in a hospital's oncology clinic were asked to complete the q uestionnaire at home during the three days after chemotherapy. Of 48 p atients asked, 42 (88%) agreed to complete the questionnaire, and 36 ( 86%) of these patients mailed it back to the clinic. Of the respondent s, 11 reported at least one episode of vomiting, and 22 reported nause a. Thirteen respondents logged nausea ratings of 3 or higher on a 7-po int scale. Twenty respondents used antiemetics. Responses given by the patients in follow-up telephone interviews did not differ significant ly from the responses collected with the questionnaire. More than 90% of patients who returned the questionnaire rated it as simple to compl ete. Pharmacists used the self-reports of nausea or vomiting in 7 (17% ) of 42 cases to recommend alternative antiemetic regimens. A mail-in questionnaire for monitoring nausea and vomiting in outpatients underg oing chemotherapy was completed and returned by a high percentage of p atients and was useful to clinic pharmacists.