Practical Geriatrics ›› 2026, Vol. 40 ›› Issue (1): 94-98.doi: 10.3969/j.issn.1003-9198.2026.01.019

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Management of opioid-induced nausea and vomiting symptoms in elderly patients with cancer pain: a qualitative study

ZHAO Yun, ZHOU Guoren, YANG Bo, GAO Fulin, LI Yunrong, ZHANG Liuliu, ZHI Xiaoxu, XU Qin   

  1. Nursing Department (ZHAO Yun,ZHANG Liuliu, ZHI Xiaoxu);Department of Oncology(ZHOU Guoren);Department of Thoracic Surgery(YANG Bo), Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Nanjing Medical University (Jiangsu Cancer Hospital), Nanjing 210009,China;
    School of Nursing, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China (GAO Fulin, LI Yunrong, XU Qin)
  • Received:2025-06-17 Published:2026-01-16
  • Contact: XU Qin, Email: qinxu@njmu.edu.cn

Abstract: Objective To explore the symptom experience and management needs of opioid-induced nausea and vomiting (OINV) in the elderly patients with cancer pain. Methods A phenomenological research method was adopted. From January to March 2025, 18 elderly patients with cancer pain who experienced nausea and vomiting after using opioids in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital were interviewed using purposive sampling. Colaizzi method was used for thematic analysis. Results Four main themes were extracted, including limited symptom awareness and attribution bias, somatic-functional interaction and multiple frailty risks, constrained self-management strategies and reliance on family/healthcare support, the application status and dilemmas of management strategies. Conclusions It is urgent to construct a whole-process management system of OINV centered on elderly patients, including dynamic assessment, personalized education, multidimensional interventions and support network reconstruction.

Key words: cancer pain, opioid-induced nausea and vomiting, symptom management, qualitative research

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