Nurse Communication of Exercise Education for Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Patients

Abstract

An estimated 20,000 people, aged 0-74 years, undergo a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) per year in the United States (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2016). Debilitating health outcomes and long recovery times are associated with this population due to disease-related and transplant-related side effects. Consistent daily exercise has been associated with reducing these debilitating transplant-related effects (Persoon et al., 2013). Generally, rehabilitation programs for HSCT patients do not include formal exercise despite the US Health and Human Services (HHS) recommends that healthy adults receive 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week, in addition to, two days of strength training (health.gov, 2017). Hospitalized HSCT patients receiving care at a community cancer center experience inconsistent engagement of physical activity. When patients receiving, aggressive chemotherapy are not coached to exercise daily, physical deconditioning, loss of muscle mass, decreased strength and endurance occur (Hacker, 2011). Working 12 hour shifts, inpatient nurses can engage patients in physical activity however are not seen as rehabilitation or exercise science experts. A quality improvement project is essential to assess nurses’ understanding, perceptions, and barriers to incorporating routine exercise into the care of HSCT patients. Utilizing the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) Model for Improvement (MFI), this quality improvement project will recommend ways to change current practice and provide exercise education resources during HSCT admission.