Symptom Management for Older Breast Cancer Survivors

Susan Heidrich, PhD, RN

The goal of the pilot study is to determine whether a symptom management educational program for older women (called IRIS) it can be delivered by telephone (TEL IRIS), rather than in a face-to-face counseling session. We have preliminary evidence that IRIS is perceived as helpful and effective by patients and that it reduces symptom distress. However, the time commitment for the patient and nurse in a face-to-face session makes the feasibility of this approach questionable in clinical practice. Further, IRIS, as it is now being tested, is conducted in women's home. This also limits the feasibility in practice, although it addresses two problems for elderly women: transportation barriers and the physical burden (most notably, fatigue) of adding more time to a scheduled clinic visit. If the intervention could be successfully delivered by phone, then health care providers could use this approach to help older adults with self care of symptoms. A pilot study is necessary to test the acceptability of the approach in terms of patient satisfaction, nurse satisfaction, whether the intervention by phone has an effect on symptom distress.