Practice Patterns of Physical Therapists Screening and Assessing Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Cross-Sectional...

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Physical Therapy
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a prevalent and distressing symptom for cancer patients.
• Physical therapists (PTs) play a crucial role in managing CRF.
• There was a need to understand current PT practices regarding CRF before the APTA guideline.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe physical therapists' (PTs) current practices in screening and assessing cancer-related fatigue (CRF).
• To identify practice gaps in relation to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) CRF clinical practice guideline.
• To evaluate the utilization of evidence-based CRF screening and assessment tools.

Main Methods:

• An electronic survey was distributed to PTs treating cancer patients.
• Data collected included PT demographics and the use of CRF screening and assessment tools.
• Survey responses were analyzed to determine current practice patterns.

Main Results:

• 73 PTs completed the survey, with 71.2% using screening measures and 54.8% using assessment measures.
• A significant gap was observed in the utilization of guideline-recommended (Grade A or B) CRF screening and assessment tools, with usage ranging from 0-34%.
• Respondents showed limited adoption of the strongest evidence-based measures.

Conclusions:

• Allied health providers, including PTs, can improve their use of evidence-based CRF screening and assessment.
• The study findings provide insights for future implementation strategies to enhance the quality of CRF care.
• Future efforts should focus on bridging the gap between guideline recommendations and clinical practice for CRF management.