Research Application of Patient-Reported Outcomes in Assessing the Nutritional Status of Patients with Gastrointestinal Tumors

Abstract

Objective: To investigate and analyze the changes of nutritional status in patients undergoing postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy for gastrointestinal tumors based on patient-reported outcomes. Methods: From July 2020 to March 2021, 60 patients with gastrointestinal tumor who received adjuvant chemotherapy for the first time after surgery under the oncology department of a third-level, first-class hospital in Shaanxi Province were recruited by convenience sampling. The patient-reported nutritional evaluation outcomes within 24 hours after admission and during the fourth chemotherapy cycle incorporated nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS2002), Functional Assessment of Anorexia/Cachexia Therapy (FAACT), psychological pain screening, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Assessment (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) to screen for depression, dietary self-assessment, health index scale (EQ-5D), and nutrition supervisor overall assessment scale. Results: The self-reported nutritional evaluation outcomes by adjuvant chemotherapy patients showed an upward trend along with their chemotherapy cycle. Their PG-SGA score, FAACT score, psychological pain score, and EQ-5D score during the fourth cycle were better than those during the first chemotherapy cycle (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Based on the patient-reported nutritional evaluation outcomes, the nutritional status and quality of life of patients with gastrointestinal tumors during chemotherapy did not worsen. Medical staff should timely evaluate the nutritional status of patients with gastrointestinal tumors during chemotherapy and implement reasonable nutritional intervention to improve the quality of life of patients. In the future, patient-reported outcomes should be considered for integration into clinical practice in order to facilitate patient participation in decision-making and improve their medical experience.