Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 18, 2026
The Treadmill Fatigue Test: A Simple, High-throughput Assay of Fatigue-like Behavior for the Mouse
Published on: May 31, 2016
Fatigue in 7- to 12-year-old patients with cancer from the staff perspective: an exploratory study
P S Hinds1, M Hockenberry-Eaton, A Quargnenti
1St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis, TN, USA.
Insights
Pediatric cancer patients experience debilitating fatigue influenced by many factors. Healthcare staff perceive their role in managing this fatigue, using a child's baseline for assessment.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Oncology
- Symptom Management
- Patient Care
Background:
- Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom in pediatric cancer patients.
- Understanding staff perspectives on fatigue is crucial for effective interventions.
- Current literature lacks comprehensive analysis of healthcare staff's views on pediatric cancer-related fatigue.
Purpose of the Study:
- To document and analyze healthcare staff perspectives on fatigue in pediatric cancer patients aged 7-12.
- To explore the nature, causes, and effective interventions for fatigue in this population.
- To inform nursing practice and improve patient care strategies.
Main Methods:
- Exploratory study design.
- Focus group sessions with 38 pediatric oncology staff members (nurses, nutritionists, chaplain, physician).
- Content analysis and Wilson concept analysis of open-ended responses.
Main Results:
- Staff perceive fatigue as a significant energy and will deficit, influenced by environmental, biochemical, personal, cultural, and treatment factors.
- Fatigue can manifest as acute, episodic, or chronic, often with associated emotional or mental state changes.
- Staff primarily assess fatigue by comparing a child's current state to their own previous state.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare staff view fatigue as a debilitating symptom in pediatric cancer patients.
- Staff acknowledge their role in both causing and alleviating fatigue.
- Findings can guide staff in identifying fatigue and its contributing/alleviating factors in young cancer patients.
Purpose/Objectives:
To document and analyze the perspectives of staff members who provide direct care to 7- to 12-year-old patients with cancer regarding the nature and characteristics of fatigue, causes of fatigue, and effective interventions for this population of young patients.
Design:
Exploratory.
Settings:
A pediatric oncology unit at a children's hospital in the southwest and a pediatric research center for childhood catastrophic diseases in the mid-south.
Sample:
A convenience sample of 38 staff members (8 advanced practice nurses, 23 staff nurses, 2 nurses managers, 3 nutritionists, 1 chaplain, and 1 physician) whose experience in pediatric oncology ranged from two months to 23 years.
Methods:
Nine open-ended questions were posed to staff members during focus group sessions. Staff responses were analyzed using content analysis techniques and the Wilson concept analysis technique.
Main Research Variable:
Staff perceptions of fatigue in 7- to 12-year-old patients with cancer.
Findings:
Fatigue is a state of diminished to complete loss of energy or will that is influenced by environmental, biochemical, personal, cultural, and treatment-related factors. This state, which may be acute, episodic, or chronic, can be accompanied by a changing emotional or mental state.
Conclusions:
Staff perceive fatigue to be a debilitating symptom for these children. When attempting to determine the presence or absence of fatigue, staff primarily compare a child's current state with his or her previous state rather than that of other children. Staff see themselves as having a role in causing and alleviating fatigue in this patient group.
Implications For Nursing Practice:
Staff can use these findings to help them identify the presence of fatigue in these children and to identify contributing and alleviating factors.
