The provision of patient information is an integral part of the care pathway. The patient should be fully informed of all the possible side‐effects of chemotherapy, how to cope with any side‐effects at home, types of supportive therapy they may receive, and where and how they are to receive the drugs (NCAG [163], NMC [177]). Patients should then receive written information, which can be used to reinforce verbal explanation and will enable patients to spend time reading and formulating any questions about treatments (INS [112], Scaramuzzo [220]). Patients should receive information leaflets explaining the rationale for the use of medications as well as the side‐effects. Guidance based upon EU and national legislation regarding best practice requirements for patient information is provided by the Department of Health and should be used when formulating patient information leaflets (MHRA [155]).

The main aim of providing information is to help the patient and their family to gain control, reduce anxiety, improve compliance, develop realistic expectations, promote self‐care, enhance participation and generate feelings of safety and security (Scaramuzzo [220], van der Molen [259]). The nurse should consider barriers to effective communication, for example hearing difficulties, sight difficulties, culture and language barriers, and plan realistic interventions in respect of such barriers. Written information about side‐effects of the treatment as well as healthcare professional contact numbers should be provided (DH [46], NCAG [163]). Patient empowerment is essential in helping patients recognize and report side‐effects, which commonly occur while they are at home. The use of a traffic light symptom‐reporting tool can help the patient identify when they need to seek medical assistance (Oakley et al. [182]). A 24‐hour contact number as well as advice on how to deal with emergencies should be included. Organizations should provide patients with chemotherapy alert cards that contain essential information for out‐of‐hours queries (NCB [164]). These alert cards should contain information about signs and symptoms that require medical intervention so that the patient is aware of when to seek advice. Many organizations advocate the use of patient‐held diaries that contain information relating to symptoms and indicate to the patient which symptoms require telephone advice and which require urgent medical assistance. Empowering the patient to facilitate their own selfcare needs is vital in keeping the patient safe while they are receiving chemotherapy. A nurse‐led holistic needs assessment prior to the initial chemotherapy consultation may help the patient and carer identify self‐management requirements and encourage symptom reporting (NCB [164]). Many web‐based information advisory and support groups such as Macmillan Cancer Support provide comprehensive information to help patients and carers understand the processes and side‐effects related to chemotherapy administration.

There are criteria that must be confirmed prior to administration of chemotherapy. For example, full blood count, electrolyte and renal function blood results are essential to:

The Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status should be recorded which shows the impact of chemotherapy upon the daily activities of the patient and thus is used to make decisions regarding dose reduction or delay in treatment (Oken et al. [183]).

This is done by using the patient's height and weight and should be performed every time a cycle or dose of chemotherapy is given. The patient's height and weight should be recorded on the prescription chart, ideally by the person who performed the recording to avoid transcription errors. Electronic height and weight recording in the patient's notes which have integral mechanisms for prompting a double check if the weight changes by 10% help ensure corrective action is taken to adjust the dose of medication. Once the surface area is determined, this will be used to calculate the dose of a chemotherapy drug (Wilkes [268]).