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'Heavy to carry': a survey of parent/caregiver and healthcare professionals' perceptions of cancer-related fatigue in children and young people.

'Heavy to carry': a survey of parent/caregiver and healthcare professionals' perceptions of cancer-related fatigue in children and young people.
'Heavy to carry': a survey of parent/caregiver and healthcare professionals' perceptions of cancer-related fatigue in children and young people.
Cancer-related fatigue is a prevalent, but often under-recognized, symptom with the potential to impact the lives of both the child and the family. There is little known about the biological and the behavioral dimensions of fatigue, and not about the patterns of this symptom. The aim of this study was to investigate cancer-related fatigue from the perspective of parents of children and young people with cancer and from the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and to examine its impact on quality of life. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was undertaken with parents of patients attending 4 of the 22 United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study Group centers; HCPs from 20 of these centers were also surveyed. Response rates were 42% for parents and caregivers (95/224) and 35% for HCPs (235/679). Results showed that fatigue was prevalent. Fifty-six percent of HCPs thought "most" or "all" patients experienced moderate fatigue; 57% of parents said that the patient experienced fatigue at least once a week. Data demonstrate that fatigue was perceived to be a significant problem by parents and HCPs. Healthcare professionals indicated that the mean percentage of patients who experience fatigue, to whom they recommended a treatment, was 29%. Rest and relaxation were recommended by the majority (59%; 138). The overall impression is that both HCPs and parents acknowledge that children and young people are likely to experience fatigue. Recognition of the significance of this symptom is a crucial first step in improving future management and offering strategies that can help both child and family
0162-220X
27-35
Gibson, Faith
b537d483-3f20-4f15-a9b8-880758746728
Garnett, Marion
63fcb06c-eaeb-4b2f-bb0e-d2bdddfbdd0a
Richardson, Alison
3db30680-aa47-43a5-b54d-62d10ece17b7
Edwards, Jacqueline
3acc174b-938a-421d-8dcf-29be51742ca9
Sepion, Beth
a026b02f-871c-4d22-9052-f0f112555cf5
Gibson, Faith
b537d483-3f20-4f15-a9b8-880758746728
Garnett, Marion
63fcb06c-eaeb-4b2f-bb0e-d2bdddfbdd0a
Richardson, Alison
3db30680-aa47-43a5-b54d-62d10ece17b7
Edwards, Jacqueline
3acc174b-938a-421d-8dcf-29be51742ca9
Sepion, Beth
a026b02f-871c-4d22-9052-f0f112555cf5

Gibson, Faith, Garnett, Marion, Richardson, Alison, Edwards, Jacqueline and Sepion, Beth (2005) 'Heavy to carry': a survey of parent/caregiver and healthcare professionals' perceptions of cancer-related fatigue in children and young people. Cancer Nursing, 28 (1), 27-35.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Cancer-related fatigue is a prevalent, but often under-recognized, symptom with the potential to impact the lives of both the child and the family. There is little known about the biological and the behavioral dimensions of fatigue, and not about the patterns of this symptom. The aim of this study was to investigate cancer-related fatigue from the perspective of parents of children and young people with cancer and from the perspective of healthcare professionals (HCPs) and to examine its impact on quality of life. A cross-sectional, questionnaire-based survey was undertaken with parents of patients attending 4 of the 22 United Kingdom Childhood Cancer Study Group centers; HCPs from 20 of these centers were also surveyed. Response rates were 42% for parents and caregivers (95/224) and 35% for HCPs (235/679). Results showed that fatigue was prevalent. Fifty-six percent of HCPs thought "most" or "all" patients experienced moderate fatigue; 57% of parents said that the patient experienced fatigue at least once a week. Data demonstrate that fatigue was perceived to be a significant problem by parents and HCPs. Healthcare professionals indicated that the mean percentage of patients who experience fatigue, to whom they recommended a treatment, was 29%. Rest and relaxation were recommended by the majority (59%; 138). The overall impression is that both HCPs and parents acknowledge that children and young people are likely to experience fatigue. Recognition of the significance of this symptom is a crucial first step in improving future management and offering strategies that can help both child and family

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More information

Published date: January 2005

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 69108
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/69108
ISSN: 0162-220X
PURE UUID: 1b2a4cbd-5fbf-475a-a479-0e3b0ca056f4
ORCID for Alison Richardson: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-3127-5755

Catalogue record

Date deposited: 16 Nov 2009
Last modified: 23 Jul 2022 02:00

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Contributors

Author: Faith Gibson
Author: Marion Garnett
Author: Jacqueline Edwards
Author: Beth Sepion

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