Related Experiment Videos
Patients' perspectives of fatigue while undergoing chemotherapy
D K Messias1, K A Yeager, S L Dibble
1Department of Community Health Systems, University of California, San Francisco, USA.
Oncology Nursing Forum
|January 1, 1997
Summary
Patients undergoing chemotherapy experience significant fatigue, impacting their well-being and daily lives. Understanding these varied experiences is crucial for improving patient care and nursing interventions.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Patient Experience
- Qualitative Research
Background:
- Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom for patients undergoing chemotherapy.
- Understanding the patient's perspective on fatigue is essential for effective management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the multifaceted experience of fatigue in patients receiving chemotherapy.
- To identify the various dimensions and impacts of chemotherapy-induced fatigue.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative research design utilizing secondary data analysis.
- Individual, open-ended interviews with 127 adult patients starting chemotherapy.
- Grounded theory techniques for thematic analysis of patient-reported fatigue.
Main Results:
- Identified eight major thematic categories of fatigue experience: experiencing fatigue, effects on well-being, attribution of origin, awareness/expectations, emotional reactions, activity, primary concerns, and coping strategies.
- Highlighted the variability in extent, duration, and temporality of fatigue.
- Demonstrated the dynamic and changing nature of the fatigue experience.
Conclusions:
- Fatigue in chemotherapy patients is a complex, dynamic experience influenced by daily life, disease, and treatment.
- Nurses need to actively listen to patients' descriptions of fatigue.
- Further research is needed to enhance theoretical understanding and improve nursing interventions for fatigue.