探討走路方案於乳癌術後疲憊及運動耐受力之成效

Effects of a Walking Program on Fatigue and Exercise Capacity in Post-Surgery Breast Cancer Women

背景：大多數的乳癌患者在接受治療期間會出現疲憊感，完成治療後可能還會持續好幾年。治療期間若出現疲憊狀態，也會影響到病人持續治療的意願，進而影響其預後。目的：探討走路方案於乳癌患者疲憊與運動耐受力之成效。方法：採雙組隨機對照之實驗性研究設計，於五週研究期間重複測量三次。以中部某醫學中心初診斷乳癌病患為研究對象，共收案66人。研究措施為五週中等運動量之居家走路方案，主要依變項為疲憊及運動耐力，測量工具為慢行疾病治療功能性評估—疲憊量表及六分鐘走路測試。結果：有接受化療的病患中，在接受化學治療期間之疲憊感顯著較手術後增加，研究期間接受走路方案的運動組其疲憊及運動耐力有改善，但與對照組之間並無顯著差異。結論／實務應用：護理人員如能與臨床醫師及癌症團隊合作，推廣走路運動於乳癌群體，可改善乳癌患者的疲憊，並有助於展現護理獨特性功能及拓展護理專業角色。

Background: The majority of women with breast cancer experience treatment-related fatigue. Fatigue makes patients more inclined to terminate their treatment, which influences patient prognosis and survivorship.Purpose: This study explores the effects of a walking program on fatigue and exercise capacity in women who have undergone breast cancer surgery.Methods: This was a randomized control trial study with measures taken 3 times over 5 weeks. Sixty-six women with breast cancer were recruited from a medical center in central Taiwan. The intervention was a moderate-intensity, home-based walking program. The Functional Assessment for Chronic Illness Treatment-Fatigue and distance walked in a 6-minute period, respectively, were used to score the main outcome measures of fatigue and exercise capacity.Results: For those who accepted chemotherapy, fatigue was significantly higher during chemotherapy than after surgery. Although participants in the walking program achieved gradually reduced fatigue and increased exercise capacity, there was no significant difference in fatigue and exercise capacity between the exercise and control groups at any of the three measured times.Conclusions / Implications for Practice: Nurse collaboration with healthcare providers to promote exercise in the breast cancer population may not only improve the health of post-surgery breast cancer women but also enhance the independent functioning of nurses and advance the nursing profession.