Non-Pharmacological Management of Nausea and Vomiting in Cancer: A Scoping Review

Prevention and management of nausea and vomiting are important in cancer treatment. Effective management requires both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Patients and family members have important contributions to achieve effective control of nausea and vomiting through self-management. The objective of this review is to explore and synthesize the scientific literature about self-management strategies as a type of non-pharmacological intervention for managing nausea and vomiting in cancer patients. The articles were searched in PubMed, Science Direct and ClinicalKey databases using keyword combinations of "cancer", “non-pharmacological”, "intervention", "management", "nausea" and "vomiting". The inclusion criteria were articles that were free; full text; published in the last five years; provided information about non-pharmacological strategies in managing nausea and vomiting in cancer; and were written in English. Out of a total of 232 papers identified, 21 were selected. The results show that non-pharmacological management of nausea and vomiting ranged from simple self-management techniques to integrative therapies and palliative interventions. Self-management emphasizes patient autonomy in their own care and encourages patients and families to assume the responsibility of managing relevant aspects of their condition. The strategies include dietary modifications, environmental modifications, psychological strategies, exercise and taking of medication as prescribed. The interventions discussed in this article can be applied by patients as directed or instructed by healthcare teams. Nurses play an important role in educating patients on non-pharmacological interventions and encouraging them to achieve self-efficacy. Further research of other such interventions with larger sample sizes is needed to provide more accurate results.