Effects of nurse-led case management intervention on arm function and uncertainty for women with breast cancer

Objective To evaluate the effect of a nurse-led case management intervention on arm function and uncertainty for women with breast cancer.Methods 90 women with breast cancer were divided into the intervention group and the control group according to their nurses,with 45 patients in each group.All participants were followed six months after surgery.The intervention group attended a 6-month nurse-led case management program,while the control group received the routine care and follow-up only.Questionnaires on arm function and uncertainty were administered 1 month,3 months and 6months after the surgery respectively.Score changes were compared by repeated-measure ANOVA and MANOVA.Results The arm function of the intervention group was better than the control group,except for the 10th day after the operation,there were significant differences at other three time points.The disease uncertainty level of the intervention group was better than that of the control group,except for the dimension of unpredictability,there were evident differences in other dimensions at other three time points.Conclusions The nurse-led case management intervention could improve arm function recovery and decrease the uncertainty to disease of breast cancer survivors. Key words: Breast cancer; Case management; Arm function of limbs; Disease uncertainty