Objective: Apitherapy is frequently used by patients as honey, pollen, propolis and bee venom in the treatment of cancer and its symptoms. This study was conducted to determine oncology nurses' knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and cancer patients counseling experiences about apitherapy. Material and Methods: This study was descriptive and crosssectional. The study was performed with 105 oncology nurses who fully completed the questionnaire and provided feedback. Results: Oncology nurses received training on apitherapy (1.9%), had knowledge about apitherapy (30.5%), and got information from the internet (33.3%). It was found that 80.0% of oncology nurses used apitherapy. Nurses indicated that, among apitherapy products, cancer patients used honey and propolis the most, and bee venom the least. When the nurses were asked how apitherapy affected the treatment of patients, they reported that it relieved patients psychologically and increased their adherence to treatment (71.5%), positively affected the prognosis of the disease (11.4%), and improved symptoms (8.6%). Oncology nurses reported that patients with lung (47.6%), breast (46.7%) cancers, and leukemia (46.7%) resorted to apitherapy and also used it to manage anorexia (53.3%), fatigue (48.6%), and mucositis (43.8%). Oncology nurses reported toxic reactions in 10.5% (redness-rash on the skin, increased liver enzymes) of patients using apitherapy products. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that knowledge and experience of apitherapy among the future's oncology nurses and patients were limited. Cancer patients must receive counseling and accept responsibility for using apitherapy to manage symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Keywords: Apitherapy; oncology nursing; honey; propolis
Amaç: Apiterapi, kanser ve semptomlarının tedavisinde bal, polen, propolis ve arı zehiri olarak hastalar tarafından sıklıkla kullanılmaktadır. Bu araştırma, onkoloji hemşirelerinin apiterapi ile ilgili bilgi, tutum, davranış ve kanser hastalarına apiterapi ile ilgili verdikleri danışmanlık deneyimlerini belirlemek amacıyla yapılmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntemler: Bu çalışma tanımlayıcı ve kesitseldi. Çalışma anketi eksiksiz dolduran ve geri bildirimde bulunan 105 onkoloji hemşiresi ile gerçekleştirildi. Bulgular: Onkoloji hemşirelerinin apiterapi konusunda eğitim almışlardı (%1,9), apiterapi hakkında bilgi sahibi (%30,5) ve internetten bilgi almış (%33,3). Onkoloji hemşirelerinin %80,0'ının apiterapi kullandığı belirlendi. Hemşireler, apiterapi ürünlerinden kanser hastalarının en çok bal ve propolis, en az ise arı zehiri kullandığını belirtmişlerdir. Hemşirelere apiterapinin hastaların tedavisini nasıl etkilediği sorulduğunda, hastaları psikolojik olarak rahatlattığını ve tedaviye uyumlarını artırdığını (%71,5), hastalığın prognozunu olumlu etkilediğini (%11,4) ve semptomları iyileştirdiğini (%8,6) bildirmişlerdir. Onkoloji hemşireleri, akciğer (%47,6) kanseri, meme (%46,7) kanseri ve lösemili (%46,7) hastaların apiterapiye daha fazla başvurduklarını; özellikle anoreksiya (%53,3), yorgunluk (%48,6) ve mukozit (%43,8) tedavisinde de kullandıklarını bildirmişlerdir. Onkoloji hemşireleri, apiterapi ürünleri kullanan hastaların %10,5'inde toksik reaksiyonlar (deride kırmızı renkli döküntüler, karaciğer enzimlerinde yükselme) geliştiğini bildirmiştir. Sonuç: Bu çalışma, geleceğin onkoloji hemşiresi ve hastalarının apiterapi bilgi ve deneyiminin sınırlı olduğunu göstermiştir. Kanser hastaları, semptomları yönetmek ve yaşam kalitelerini iyileştirmek için apiterapi kullanma konusunda danışmanlık almalı ve sorumluluk kabul etmelidir.
Anahtar Kelimeler: Apiterapi; kanser hemşireliği; bal; propolis
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