The Effects of Body Position on Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting: A Single-Blind Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND: Chemotherapy is the cornerstone of cancer treatment; however, alongside therapeutic effects, nausea and vomiting are two common complications of chemotherapy. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of body position on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a single-blind randomized controlled clinical trial. We recruited a convenience sample of 79 patients and randomly allocated them to either experimental or control groups. Patients in the control group received chemotherapy in supine position while the experimental group received chemotherapy in semi-Fowler’s position. All patients were assessed for the severity, duration, and frequency of nausea and vomiting episodes every three hours up to 24 hours, ie, in nine time-points. Study data was analyzed by SPSS v. 16. RESULTS: The severity, duration, and frequency of nausea and the severity and frequency of vomiting episodes in the control group differed significantly across the nine measurement time-points (P < 0.001). In the experimental group, the severity (P = 0.254) and frequency of nausea (P = 0.002) episodes as well as the frequency of vomiting (P = 0.008) episodes differed significantly across the measurement time-points. Moreover, the study groups differed significantly across the measurement time-point in terms of the severity (P < 0.001), duration (P < 0.001), and frequency of nausea (P = 0.002) and the severity (P < 0.001) and frequency (P < 0.001) of vomiting episodes. CONCLUSIONS: Compared to supine position, semi-Fowler’s position is more effective in relieving chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.