• Heidi S Donovan and Sandra Ward.
• Department of Acute and Tertiary Care, School of Nursing, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. donovanh@pitt.edu
• Oncol Nurs Forum. 2005 Jan 1;32(1):113-6.

Purpose/ObjectivesTo describe women's representations of fatigue and fatigue-related coping efforts by women receiving chemotherapy.DesignDescriptive, correlational.SettingOutpatient gynecologic oncology clinic.SampleWomen receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic cancers. Fifty-four women were recruited; 49 (91%) completed measures. This report focuses on the 27 women who identified fatigue as one of their most noticed symptoms and subsequently completed the fatigue representations measure.MethodsWomen completed measures of key research variables at home seven days after receiving chemotherapy.Main Research VariablesRepresentations of fatigue (identity, cause, timeline, consequences, cure or controllability, and emotional representation), fatigue-related coping efforts (communication with healthcare provider, adherence, and self-directed coping strategies), and overall symptom interference with life activities.FindingsWomen reported a mean of 13.44 different symptoms. They reported a mean fatigue identity (severity) score of 6.48 on a scale of 0-10. On a 0-4 scale, women reported mean fatigue consequences of 2.21, cure or controllability of 1.58, and emotional representations (distress) of 2.16. A majority (59%) had not communicated with their healthcare providers about fatigue at their last appointments, and 56% reported never receiving recommendations for managing fatigue. Sleep or rest was the most common strategy used for managing fatigue.ConclusionsFatigue is a prevalent, severe symptom that is perceived as distressing and uncontrollable by women receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic cancers. These perceptions may be reinforced by a lack of recommendations from healthcare providers for managing fatigue.Implications For NursingNurses must make extra efforts to ask patients about fatigue and to provide self-care suggestions for coping with fatigue. Research efforts must continue to evaluate the efficacy of nursing interventions aimed at decreasing cancer-related fatigue.

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