Ambulatory 5FU infusion pumps: Patient perceptions and quality of life.

Abstract

663 Background: Infusional-5-fluorouracil (inf-5FU), administered over 48 hours every 2 weeks, is frequently prescribed for the treatment of gastrointestinal cancers. A portable infusion device (ID) may be used for this purpose to enable treatment at home. At our institution, patients are educated by an oncology nurse as to what to expect, and how to function once they leave the infusion center. However, there is no formal process in place to report their experience and to record and analyze the results. The intended goal of this study was to accomplish this, such that the data could improve the education and experience of future patients. Methods: After verbal consent, a sequential cohort of patients, who had received 2 or more treatments with inf-5FU for gastrointestinal cancer, was invited to complete a de-identified paper questionnaire concerning their experience. Eleven specific questions suggested by the GI group were included, with an opportunity to add comments. The surveys were then collated and reviewed. Results: See table. Conclusions: While most patients felt well prepared by their medical team as to what to expect from the ID (93.1%), ≥ 25% had issues with bathing (73.6%), sleep (37.5%), exercising (30.6%), intimacy (26.4%), social interactions (25%) and anxiety (25%). These insights will be used to improve the education of future patients and a second assessment will follow. 72/72 patients approached over 6 months completed the survey with results below: [Table: see text]