Fatigue during and after cancer treatment is common. Patients continue to report that fatigue is their most troublesome symptom related to cancer and treatment. While health professionals often recognise fatigue as a problem, it’s seldom routinely addressed. This gap is often due to lack of knowledge and/or time. The aims of this presentation are to briefly explore the experience and language of fatigue, describe a clinical toolkit and professional education, and provide tips for implementing fatigue management.
The experience of cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is not uniformly appreciated. Language such as ‘tired’ used to describe fatigue can dismiss its impact. The CRF experience involves body sensations, lack of stamina and cognitive effects with variable severity and onset. These effects are disabling and distressing, completely changing a person’s life.1
Guidelines for CRF typically lack practice tools, posing implementation challenges. A clinical toolkit based on a Canadian CRF management guideline was developed and piloted in Melbourne. Screening methods classify fatigue severity as mild, moderate or severe. A fatigue management guide based on severity level is part of the toolkit.
Fatigue management must be time efficient for both patients and health professionals. Screening and education should align with existing practice. Teaching people how to self-rate their fatigue can help bridge the fatigue language barrier. Patients can be given agency to self-screen, identify and report potential contributing factors and self-manage when appropriate.2
All health professionals can contribute to fatigue prevention and management. Primary care can help to manage chronic conditions and reduce symptom burden. Referral pathways for tailored interventions are needed. To support external health professionals, the online training package with the clinical toolkit is available free of charge.