Fatigue experience and coping strategies in Taiwanese lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
Raktažodžiai
Santrauka
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore fatigue levels and fatigue-coping strategies in Taiwanese lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
BACKGROUND
Lung cancer is now recognized as one of the most common cancers in Taiwan, with a high prevalence of mortality. As chemotherapy progresses, fatigue is a common cause of symptom distress.
METHODS
Data on demographic and disease-related characteristics were gathered from the medical record, and data on fatigue and coping strategies were gathered by questionnaires administered to 101 lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.
RESULTS
The mean fatigue score for the total sample was 8.0 (SD = 5.0, range = 0-20), indicating light-to-moderate fatigue. The majority of patients (n = 76, 75.2%) had a baseline haemoglobin level of
CONCLUSIONS
This study highlighted the management of fatigue problems in lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, especially in respecting patients' self-report of fatigue-management strategies. Relevance to clinical practice. Health care providers should carefully assess patients for fatigue while they are receiving chemotherapy. These patients and their caregivers should be taught to notice fatigue and encouraged to choose coping strategies that reduce fatigue level, thus improving their quality of life.