ASSESSMENT OF FATIGUE IN CANCER AND NONCANCER PATIENTS AND IN HEALTHY-INDIVIDUALS

Fatigue is a very complex phenomenon. It has been described as a major distressing symptom in cancer patients. It is a multidimensional expe rience that focuses not only on biochemical or pathophysiological caus es, but also involves psychological and behavioural aspects. Until tod ay, measurement of fatigue has been a neglected topic in medicine and nursing and a nihilistic attitude still prevails. The lack of valid, r eliable tools of measurement is one of the problems inhibiting further research. Only recently has quality-of-life research begun to acknowl edge this phenomenon and include fatigue in assessment. In this study, fatigue was measured and explored in cancer patients non-cancer patie nts and in healthy individuals. A clear distinction evolved between '' healthy'' fatigue in healthy individuals and ''unhealthy'' fatigue in cancer patients, where the impact of fatigue was far more negative. Ch aracteristic fatigue profiles underlined these findings. The new visua l-analogue fatigue scale, to measure fatigue four times daily, proved to be very useful. Further research is needed to develop therapeutic s trategies and to support the patients who have to cope with this distr essing symptom.