Defense session of the thesis of Mrs Fatemeh Shamsi a master student of

Medical surgical nursing on the topic “The Effect of Supportive Educational Intervention via Social Media on Neuropathy in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy” was held on 2025/4/8 in the graduate education conference hall of the nursing faculty.

     

Arak Nursing School

Student name: Fatemeh shamsi

Supervisor: Dr Nazi Nejat

Advisors:Dr Marjan Mehri

                Dr Fatemeh Rafiee

Defense date:2025/4/8

Title: The Effect of Supportive Educational Intervention via Social Media on Neuropathy in Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy

Abstract

Introduction:

Cancer is a growing disease that has many effects on various aspects of people's health, which can cause many problems in their lives. Chemotherapy, as one of the main treatments for cancer, although it has increased the number of survivors, causes many complications. One of the important complications of chemotherapy is peripheral neuropathy, which can cause pathological damage to nerve cells and dysfunction of peripheral nerves. This study aimed to determine the effect of a supportive educational intervention through virtual social networks on neuropathy in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Materials and Methods:

This study was conducted as a randomized clinical trial with two intervention and control groups. Sampling was carried out using the convenience method and considering the inclusion criteria. The samples were placed in the two intervention and control groups using the random allocation method (block randomization).

The intervention group received nursing education on cancer, chemotherapy, and neuropathy, symptoms and dimensions, and its management, through one of the social media messages according to the patient's preference, for one month in the form of personal messages. Both groups completed the chemotherapy-induced neuropathy questionnaire before the intervention, one month, and two months after the intervention. The data were entered into SPSS26 software and statistical analyses were performed, and analysis of variance tests with repeated measures and the Bonferroni paired comparison test were performed.

Results:

The results of the study showed that the mean score of chemotherapy-induced neuropathy before the intervention in the two groups was not statistically significant (p=0.521), but one month after the intervention and two months after the intervention in the two groups, and it was higher in the intervention group (p=0.0001). The results showed that the mean score of sensory, motor, and autonomic dimensions was also not statistically significant before the intervention in the two groups (p>0.05). But after the intervention, the mean score of sensory, motor and autonomic dimensions between the two groups had a statistically significant difference and was higher in the intervention group (p=0.0001). The mean score of autonomic nerves in the intervention group increased and then decreased, which was not significant (p=0.0001). In the control group, these changes were also in an increasing form, which was not significant (p>0.05).