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Abstract Background: Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation (HSCT) is an established treatment for a variety of malignant diseases, as well as a minimal proportion of non-malignant disorders. The number of HSCTs has dramatically increased every year. Even though benefits of treatment with HSCT it has a strong impact on the patients’ health status. So measuring functional health status during and after HSCT is important to highlight specific areas that affect the patients’ live and to help healthcare professionals to improve their daily care. Aim: was to assess functional health status among patients with gastrointestinal problems undergoing stem cell transplantation. Subject, Methods, and Sample: A convenience sample of 50 adult male and female patients exposed to HSCT with gastrointestinal problems admitted to hematopoietic stem cell transplant unit over six consecutive months. Setting: at stem cell transplantation unit at Nasser institute hospital. Design: A descriptive, exploratory research design was utilized in the current study. Tools of data collection: (1) schedule interview tool: which include (a) Socio-Demographic data, (b) Medical data sheet. (2) Function Assessment of Cancer Therapy (FACT-BMT), (3) Morrow Assessment of Nausea and Emesis follow up (MANE), (4) Diarrhea Assessment and Treatment Tool, (5) Oral mucositis WHO Scale Grading. Results: The current study showed that that 92% of patients demonstrated that treatment with allogenic HSCT affected on functional health status to somewhat extent at conditioning, 62% of them reporting that this treatment had a very much effect on their functional health status at day zero, 82% of them reporting that this treatment had a very much effect on their functional health status at day 15, 70% of patients demonstrated that their functional health status was affected to some what extent at day 50, while 88% of patients demonstrated that their functional health status was affected to some what extent as a result of treatment with HSCT at day 100. Conclusion: HSCT patients presented with low symptom distress yet experienced multiple symptoms and high symptom distress at days 0, 15, and 50 after transplant conditioning. By day 100, patients experienced few symptoms and a low level of distress. Recommendation: The study recommended, daily assessment of the patients’ functional health status and use it as an important aspect of nursing assessment and follow up, equipped the HSCT unit with electronic devices supported with WI-FI technology for allowing patients to communicate with their families to enhance their emotional, social and family wellbeing. Also further similar researches to be conducted in other hospitals with larger samples. |