الفهرس 
IntroductionOnly 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 187 |  |  |
| | | from | 187 | | |
Abstract
Cancer-related fatigue is a common and distressing symptom that is present in
the majority of cancer patients at some point during the disease course. Cancer-
related fatigue has a profound influence on patients, affecting functional
performance, mood, and one’s overall quality of life. The etiology of cancer-
related fatigue is multi factorial, involving a complex interplay of biological and
body system factors (Gatt & Izraeli, 2019).
All cancer patients should be screened for fatigue, as it often coexists with
other symptoms and its side effects may be under diagnosed. Treatment modalities
for cancer-related fatigue are still evolving. Current recommendations for
management from national and international cancer experts and societies focus on
patient and family education regarding cancer-related fatigue, exercise and
physical activity, and psychosocial interventions. Pharmacologic interventions are
less effective but may be helpful in a selected subset of affected individuals (Byrne
& Saif, 2019).
The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of fatigue
management on quality of life of patients receiving chemotherapy.
The hypothesis of the present study was (Patients who received the fatigue
management had improved quality of life the post management than pre
management).
A quasi experimental (pre and post) research design was used to conduct
this study; the study was conducted in the chemotherapy outpatient clinic at
Tanta University Hospital El-Gharbia Governorate, Egypt.
A convenience sample of 100 patients with cancer related fatigue
undergoing chemotherapy who visited the outpatient clinic was recruited in
present study.Inclusion criteria
Cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy.
18 years and older.
Accept to be included in the study.
Study Tools
It was divided in to three tools, which adapted and modified by the
researcher based on related literature, it was written in a simple Arabic
language, and filled by the researcher. First tool: A structured Interview
Questionnaire divided into three parts: Part one; Socio-demographic data, It
included name, age, gender, educational level, occupation, residence and family
income, Part two: medical history; It included past medical history, onset of
cancer, any surgical intervention, disease related factors : (diagnosis, disease
stage, duration of illness, treatment to date, chemotherapy regimen), Part there:
Anthropometric measurements included measuring patient’s weight. Second
Tool: The Revised Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) and Third tool: European
Organization of Research and Treatment-Related Quality of Life Core
Questionnaire (EORTC-QLC30).
Study results
The findings of the current study can be summarized as:
The age of the studied patients (48%) ranged between 40-<60 years with the
mean age )51.79±13.71( years. Moreover, (60% & 87%) of the studied
patients were female and single, respectively. Regarding to educational level
of studied patients (56%) of them was literate. Also, (61%, 50% & 100%) of
them don’t work, residing in rural areas and their family income <1000.
The majority of the studied patients, 98% of them didn’t have past history of
surgical operation. Regarding to onset of cancer (81%) of the studied patientswere 6 months & more. Moreover, (32% & 83%) of them suffered from
breast cancer in 3rd stage, respectively.
The body weight of the studied patients showed mean) 78.36±7.31( kg.
The present study revealed that there was a marked improvement in Piper
Fatigue Scale (PFS) and its subscales (Behavioral/severity subscale, Affective
meaning subscale, Sensory subscale and Cognitive/mood subscale) post
implementation of fatigue management with highly statistically significant
difference between pre and post implementation of fatigue management.
The current study illustrated highly statistically significant relation between
level of Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) scores pre and post fatigue management for
patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy.
The current study revealed that there was a marked improvement in total
domains of quality of life scale among the studied patients with cancer related
fatigue after experiencing chemotherapy post fatigue management.
The current study revealed that there was positive correlation between Piper
Fatigue Scale (PFS) scores and functional scale domain, symptom scale
domain and Total quality of life scores. While, there was no correlation
between Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) scores and global health status domainThe finding of the present study can be concluded that:
There was a clear decline in total Piper Fatigue Scale (PFS) and its
subscales (Cognitive/mood subscale, Behavioral/severity subscale,
Sensory subscale and Affective meaning subscale) post implementation
of fatigue management.After one month of fatigue intervention; an enhancement in total quality
of life domains score and total subscales were revealed.
A fatigue symptoms scale domain was the most quality of life domains
affected by the nursing intervention.
In the light of the findings of the current study the following recommendations
are suggested:
Comprehensive Health education program about the cancer, treatment
modalities and self-care intervention should be provided for cancer
patients.
Supportive care services and rehabilitation should be directed towards
meeting cancer patients’ needs.
Psycho-oncology clinics should be activated to improve the quality of life
and wellbeing for cancer patients.
Further studies are needed about the effect of different nursing intervention on
cancer patient`s quality of life.