UICC World Cancer Congress 2006

Objective:1) Describe the Common Sense Model (CSM) 2) Describe how the CSM can be applied to the patient's illness representation of febrile neutropenia (FN) and the healthcare provider's instruction on FN 3) Suggest ways in which future nursing research can describe the patient's illness representation of FN and intervention research may prevent adverse consequences of FN

Methods:Literature review

Results:Febrile neutropenia (FN) is a significant and potentially fatal complication of cancer chemotherapy. Cancer patients must process numerous details after receiving a new diagnosis. Prognosis, treatment planning and implementation, symptom reporting and management of side effects compete for the patient's attention. The Common Sense Model (CSM) is a model within the self-regulation theory of health and illness behavior. In the CSM, individuals develop illness representations, or “common sense” explanations, for their symptoms and what they represent in terms of the identity of the disease, its cause, duration, consequences and cure. Coping and appraisal follow in the model and a feedback loop helps to refine the individual's schemata and subsequent behavior over the trajectory of the illness. The CSM can be applied to the illness representation phase of FN for the patient. It can also provide healthcare practitioners with tools to instruct patients on the elusive and seemingly less threatening side effect of FN and to initiate appropriate use of granulocyte colony stimulating factors according to published scientific guidelines to reduce the incidence and sequelae of FN to the extent possible. Future nursing research can inform this application.