A nurse-led self-management nutritional support intervention for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea and constipation in patients with cancer: A pilot study

PURPOSE: Chemotherapy-induced diarrhea (CID) and constipation (CIC) are prevalent, distressing symptoms that can adversely affect nutritional status and treatment tolerance. Evidence for non-pharmacological management remains limited, particularly in low-resource settings. This pilot randomized study assessed feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a co-designed, nurse-led nutritional support program for managing CID and CIC in patients with cancer in Vietnam. METHODS: Adult patients experiencing CID and/or CIC participated in a 12-week pilot trial. The intervention included face-to-face education, a culturally tailored booklet, personalized dietary support, promotion of self-management strategies, and weekly telephone follow-up. Feasibility (recruitment and completion), acceptability (intervention engagement), and preliminary effectiveness (CID/CIC incidence, stool consistency, and dietary intake) were assessed at Week 3-4 and Week 12. RESULTS: Feasibility was strong, with a 94.1% recruitment rate and 98.8% completion. Acceptability was high: all participants attended education sessions, 95% completed telephone support, and over 80% adopted recommended self-management strategies. Acceptability scores remained high at Week 3-4 (88.51 ± 3.35) and Week 12 (88.33 ± 1.23) on the Intervention Rating Profile-15. At Week 3-4, the intervention group showed significantly higher proportions of patients free from both CID and CIC (53.8% vs. 27.5%, p = 0.01) and CIC alone (74.4% vs. 45%, p = 0.01). Improvements were sustained at Week 12 within a sub-sample of intervention participants. CONCLUSIONS: The co-designed, nurse-led nutritional support program was feasible, acceptable, and showed preliminary effectiveness in managing CID and CIC. Its culturally tailored, low-cost and scalable design supports implementation in resource-limited oncology settings. A fully powered randomized controlled trial is warranted.