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Chief complaint fatigue: a longitudinal study from the patient's perspective.
1Department of Community and Family Medicine, Dartmouth Medical School, Hanover, N.H. 03756.
Family Practice Research Journal
|January 1, 1987
Summary
Fatigue significantly impacts quality of life and healthcare use. While many patients improve, persistent fatigue leads to functional limitations and increased medical care utilization.
Area of Science:
- Primary Care Research
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
- General Internal Medicine
Background:
- Fatigue is a common chief complaint in primary care settings.
- Limited understanding exists regarding the patient's perspective on fatigue's impact.
- The effect of fatigue on quality of life and healthcare utilization is not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the course and impact of fatigue from the patient's viewpoint.
- To compare patients with chief complaint fatigue (CCF) to matched control groups.
- To assess the effect of fatigue on quality of life and medical care utilization.
Main Methods:
- A one-year prospective study was conducted by the Dartmouth COOP Project.
- Chief complaint fatigue (CCF) patients were compared to two age/sex matched control groups (N=243).
- Data collected focused on patient-reported outcomes, functional limitations, and healthcare utilization.
Main Results:
- Nearly 67% of CCF patients experienced improvement over the one-year study period.
- CCF patients demonstrated significantly higher healthcare utilization rates compared to controls.
- Fatigue was associated with substantial physical and emotional functional limitations and interference with daily life.
Conclusions:
- Fatigue exerts a significant adverse effect on patients' quality of life.
- Understanding the patient's experience of fatigue is crucial for effective management.
- Findings can aid physicians in better understanding and treating patients presenting with fatigue.