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Fatigue: a concept analysis

Fatigue: a concept analysis
Fatigue: a concept analysis
Abstract
Fatigue is probably the most common symptom of illness affecting sufferers of both acute and chronic conditions. However, confusion surrounds the definition and use of the term fatigue. As with many other nursing concepts, it is a word that is commonly used in colloquial language. This concept analysis aims to identify the attributes that are essential to the concept of fatigue, and to distinguish between its colloquial and its nursing usage by following the strategy suggested by Walker and Avant (1995, Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing, Appleton Lange, London). A review of the literature identifies nursing uses of the term fatigue which reflect and conflict with colloquial uses. Defining attributes, demonstration cases, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents are identified before a definition of fatigue is developed and proposed for nursing. This clarification of the phenomenon has particular relevance for clinical nursing, future research and the development of fatigue theories.
0020-7489
519-529
Ream, Emma
cac5aaf5-797c-4aff-b86f-ea717ac178fa
Richardson, Alison
9a0a6014-dee6-4090-9f16-327845fa091a
Ream, Emma
cac5aaf5-797c-4aff-b86f-ea717ac178fa
Richardson, Alison
9a0a6014-dee6-4090-9f16-327845fa091a

Ream, Emma and Richardson, Alison (1996) Fatigue: a concept analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 33 (5), 519-529.

Record type: Article

Abstract

Abstract
Fatigue is probably the most common symptom of illness affecting sufferers of both acute and chronic conditions. However, confusion surrounds the definition and use of the term fatigue. As with many other nursing concepts, it is a word that is commonly used in colloquial language. This concept analysis aims to identify the attributes that are essential to the concept of fatigue, and to distinguish between its colloquial and its nursing usage by following the strategy suggested by Walker and Avant (1995, Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing, Appleton Lange, London). A review of the literature identifies nursing uses of the term fatigue which reflect and conflict with colloquial uses. Defining attributes, demonstration cases, antecedents, consequences and empirical referents are identified before a definition of fatigue is developed and proposed for nursing. This clarification of the phenomenon has particular relevance for clinical nursing, future research and the development of fatigue theories.

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Published date: October 1996

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Local EPrints ID: 69071
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/69071
ISSN: 0020-7489
PURE UUID: 0c8466ea-f144-4f27-9219-3a88653289cc

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Date deposited: 20 Nov 2009
Last modified: 27 Apr 2022 07:21

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Contributors

Author: Emma Ream
Author: Alison Richardson

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