FATIGUE REDUCING STRATEGIES USED BY PATIENTS RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR CANCER

In order to determine which strategies are most effective in relieving fatigue of women undergoing treatment for cancer, women receiving eit her chemotherapy (n = 45) or radiation therapy (n = 54) were interview ed twice to determine their level of fatigue and the effectiveness of the strategies they used to relieve their fatigue. The subjects were i nterviewed either at the start and mid-point of any cycle of chemother apy, or at the beginning and end of a 5- or 6-week course of radiation therapy. At each interview, the subjects completed the Pearson Byars Fatigue Feeling Checklist and the Fatigue Relief Scale. At the second interview, the patients were significantly more fatigued than they had been at the first interview (p < 0.0001). The more effective the fati gue-relieving strategies at the second interview the less fatigue expe rienced by the women (p < 0.0001). At both interviews, subjects used s imilar strategies to relieve their fatigue. Sleep and exercise were am ong the most effective strategies. However, there was a wide range of scores for each strategy used, indicating variability among subjects a s to the effectiveness of the strategy. The results of the study provi de nurses with some guidance as to strategies they might suggest to pa tients who experience fatigue.