Abstract
Background: In this study we evaluated the knowledge and practice of patients with breast cancer about complication of chemotherapy referred to chemotherapy ward of Nemazee Hospital in Shiraz, Shiraz Province, Iran, in 2004.
Methods: Forty patients suffering breast cancer and under chemotherapy, were selected with a simple random sampling method. All were interviewed and a questionnaire was completed for each by trained interviewers.
Results: Overall correct responded answers were 30% in knowledge part and 53% in the practice part. There was no relation between knowledge and practice of patients with demographic variables (P> 0.05). Considering the episodes of chemotherapy, only in the knowledge part the women who were attending to receive third episode of chemotherapy had more awareness (P< 0.004). The sources of patients' information in this regard were as fallows: 18% by nurses, 82% by themselves and 0% by physicians.
Conclusion: According to the results, it seems that unfortunately there is not effective education about chemotherapy complication, because their knowledge and practice were not in acceptable level. Considering the importance of this subject, it is needed to having educational program for patients to improve patients' ability and skills for coping chemotherapy and its side effect as well as adapting illness