A phenomenologic study of fatigue in adolescents receiving treatment for cancer.

Gibson, Faith, Mulhall, Anne B., Richardson, Alison, Edwards, Jacqueline L., Ream, Emma and Sepion, Beth J. (2005) A phenomenologic study of fatigue in adolescents receiving treatment for cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 32 (3), 651-659. (doi:10.1188/05.ONF.651-660).

Abstract

Purpose/Objectives: to generate a detailed description of how adolescents with cancer manage their daily lives and the way in which fatigue affects this.
Design: phenomenologic.
Setting: a pediatric oncology unit at a regional cancer center in the United Kingdom.
Sample: a convenience sample of adolescents (N = 8), aged 16-19 years and with hematologic or solid tumors, who currently were undergoing primary treatment.
Methods: semistructured interviews were conducted using 11 open-ended questions.
Main Research Variables: adolescents' perceptions of fatigue, well-being, and ability to maintain normal activities.
Findings: adolescents reported fatigue as overwhelming and embedded in a syndrome of symptoms and emotions associated with the illness itself and with treatment. Fatigue had a significant effect on physical, psychological, and social well-being, placing an extra burden on adolescents who were striving for normality.
Conclusions: equipped with a rich description of fatigue, clinicians will be better prepared to initiate strategies congruent with their own work settings and particular patients.
Implications for Nursing: the findings should enable healthcare professionals to construct a more accurate and perceptive picture of the needs of particular individuals, highlighting those that may be amenable to intervention

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Contributors

Author: Alison Richardson

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