Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia

Università degli Studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia
Corso di laurea in infermieristica - Sede di Modena

Abstract

From the administration of chemotherapy and radiation therapy treatments can provoke several side effects that may jeopardize the continuity of the antineoplastic treatment thus increasing costs and hospital stays. These complications vary from treatment to treatment and from individual to individual. One of the most common side effects is oral mucositis. The oral mucositis is a disease that often causes pain, loss of ability to eat and speak and possibility of onset of other related infections. The nurse plays a fundamental role in the prevention and treatment of this disease, since he is capable of assessing and recognizing immediately signs and symptoms typically associated to mucositis. Considering the importance of this topic, the first aim of my thesis i sto provide a general outlook of patient’s hematologic, demonstrating its complexity and deepening their treatments to which it is subjected. The second is to analyze oral mucositis, the consequences it carries for this type of patients and methods of prevention and treatment of the pathology. The objective and the main point of my work, however, is the prevention, because after the consultation of the analysis of scientific literature it appears that despite recent studies have developed new therapeutic interventions, there is still no drug experienced that is able to successfully eliminate the mucositis. So, preventive interventions are numerous and very effective, and to limit severity and symptoms of mucositis. Therefore essential to reduce the occurrence of this complication is applied consistently and correct these preventive treatments suggesting materials and / or tools to apply such preventi