Should cryotherapy become a protocol for helping to prevent peripheral neuropathy in patients who are receiving Taxene-based chemotherapy?

Respond to these two discussion posts and ask a question at the end of each response. 1 reference for each

DISCUSSION POST 1
Research question: What interventions can nurse care managers provide to reduce patient disenrollment in our Care Management program?

Theoretical Framework: Case management is a process that can be utilized for improving patient health, promoting wellness and autonomy through advocacy, communication, education, identification of service resources, and facilitation of service.

Case management in general is guided by the principles of autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice.

Case management teams are composed of individuals from various backgrounds within health and human services professions including nursing, medicine, social work, and behavioral health.

The primary function of case managers is to advocate for patients and their support systems. Case managers commit to the appropriate use of resources and empowerment of clients to achieve optimal outcomes.

Faye Abdellah was a nurse theorist who derived her theory from Henderson’s theory of 14 basic human needs. However, Abdellah used a problem-solving approach to solve the nursing problems (Mehraeen et al., 2020).

In developing her theory, she used Maslow’s hierarchical needs theory and Erikson’s development theory to formulate her “21 nursing problems theory.”

This theory differentiated between the nursing model and the medical model in nursing education. Abdellah identified 21 problems to maintain or attain the physical, psychological, and social balance of patients.

This theory will be a theoretical framework that

used to guide my research because it has a holistic approach that believe is applicable to the population we serve at my company. This theory is a patient-centered theory in which nurses have a key role in identifying and solving problems (Mehraeen et al., 2020).

DISCUSSION POST 2

Research Question: Should cryotherapy become a protocol for helping to prevent peripheral neuropathy in patients who are receiving Taxene-based chemotherapy?

Theoretical framework: Chemotherapies utilizing Taxene-based drugs are provided to patients with many different forms of cancer (Peyton & Fischer-Cartlidge, 2019).

Taxene-based drugs include docetaxel, paclitaxel, albumin paclitaxel, and cabazitaxel (Peyton & Fischer-Cartlidge, 2019). These drugs have helped many people recover from their cancer, but not without side effects.

A serious side effect is chemotherapy induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) (Loprinzi et al., 2020). Peripheral neuropathy can be damaging and also permanent to patients’ bilateral hands, feet, and scalp. CIPN can lead to muscle debility, trouble with balance, and a greater risk of falling (Loprinzi et al., 2020).

A potential positive intervention to help prevent this neuropathy is cryotherapy. Cryotherapy is a type of medical treatment that utilizes cold temperatures. The basic principle of cryotherapy during chemotherapy is that it causes vasoconstriction which limits cytotoxic effects to a localized area (Peyton & Fischer-Cartlidge, 2019).

Studies done by Sundar et al. (2012), indicate a reduction in paclitaxel related peripheral neuropathy after limb cooling.

Delaying or reducing dosages, the need to substitute drugs, or discontinuing treatment are all complications that can occur if CIPN becomes severe (Loprinzi et al., 2020). As it is imperative for patients to receive their treatments, cryotherapy may provide a means for enabling them to continue.

All of the studies conducted or reviewed by Loprinzi et al. (2020), Peyton & Fischer-Cartlidge (2019), and Sundar et al. (2012), have noted that there has been success in utilizing cryotherapy to treat CIPN, however, all also conclude that further research is warranted.