Effect of Designing Nursing Protocol regarding Chemotherapy Induced Febrile Neutropenia: Nurses performance and Patients’ related Outcome

Background: Febrile neutropenia is serious complication of many chemotherapy regimen, the Oncology nurses serve as key frontline providers in the execution of clinical protocols designed for febrile neutropenia care. Aim: Evaluate the effect of designing nursing protocol regarding chemotherapy induced febrile neutropenia: nurses’ performance and patients’ related outcome. Design: Quasi-experimental design was utilized. Setting: Clinical Oncology and Nuclear Medicine Department of Tanta Main University Hospital. Subjects: All nurses (40) working in the previously mentioned setting and purposive sample of (60) cancer patients who were at risk for diagnosed chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia. Tools: Four tools were used for data collection Tool I: Nurses' Structured Interview Schedule, Tool II: Observational Checklist for Nurse's Practice regarding Care of Chemotherapy Induced Neutropenia's Patients. Too III: Patients' Structured Interview Schedule and Tool (IV): SelfCare Behavior Assessment. Results: The nursing intervention protocol significantly improved nurses' performance during chemotherapy-induced neutropenia care, including infection prevention and medication handling (p < 0.001). The study group patients’ self-care behavior markedly improved post-intervention, with positive behavior (p = 0.008), unlike the control group. Conclusion: Implementing a designed nursing protocol guideline significantly improved clinical outcomes for patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia, enhancing nurses' knowledge, practices, and patient self-care behaviors. Recommendation: A designed nursing protocol guidelines should be consistently adhered when caring for patients with chemotherapy-induced febrile neutropenia to optimize clinical outcomes and reduce complications.