Using a simple diary for management of nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy.

To help clinical staff make effective adjustments to patients' antiemetic therapy, the authors gave patients a nausea and vomiting diary to record their experiences. Use of the diary strengthened patients' sense of security, as well as trust between staff and patients, in addition to increasing the staff's sensitivity to cultural differences in their approach to cancer and chemotherapy. Most patients responded favorably to the opportunity to express their fears and anxieties in diary format.