Outcome of chemotherapy counseling by pharmacists on psychological effects and self esteem among oncology patients in a Government Hospital in Malaysia

Chemotherapy is the most common form of treatment among cancer patients. It is also known to cause many physical and psychological side-effects. This study developed, implemented and evaluated the outcome of a chemotherapy counseling module among oncology patients by pharmacists based on their psychological effects (depression, anxiety) and selfesteem. A randomized, single blind, placebo controlled study was conducted among 162 patients undergoing chemotherapy in a government hospital in Malaysia. Counseling sessions were conducted using the 'Managing Patients on Chemotherapy' module for oncology patients undergoing chemotherapy at each treatment cycle. The outcome of repetitive chemotherapy counseling using the module was determined at baseline, first follow-up, second follow-up and third follow-up. The findings revealed that there was significant improvement in the intervention group as compared to the control group with large effect size on depression (p = 0.001, partial η(2) = 0.394), anxiety (p = 0.001, partial η(2) = 0.232) and self-esteem (p = 0.001, partial η(2) = 0.541). Repetitive counseling using the 'Managing Patients on Chemotherapy' module was found to be effective in improving psychological effects and self-esteem among patients undergoing chemotherapy.