Display options
Cite
Whitehead LC, Unahi K, Burrell B, et al. The Experience of Fatigue Across Long-Term Conditions: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016;52(1):131-143.e1doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.02.013.
Whitehead, L. C., Unahi, K., Burrell, B., & Crowe, M. T. (2016). The Experience of Fatigue Across Long-Term Conditions: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis. Journal of pain and symptom management, 52(1), 131-143.e1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.02.013
Whitehead, Lisa C, et al. "The Experience of Fatigue Across Long-Term Conditions: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis." Journal of pain and symptom management vol. 52,1 (2016): 131-143.e1. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.02.013
Whitehead LC, Unahi K, Burrell B, Crowe MT. The Experience of Fatigue Across Long-Term Conditions: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016 Jul;52(1):131-143.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.02.013. Epub 2016 May 24. PMID: 27233142.
Copy Download .nbib Format: NLM
Share it on

J Pain Symptom Manage. 2016 Jul;52(1):131-143.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.02.013. Epub 2016 May 24.

The Experience of Fatigue Across Long-Term Conditions: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.

Journal of pain and symptom management

Lisa C Whitehead, Kirstin Unahi, Beverley Burrell, Marie T Crowe

Affiliations

  1. School of Nursing and Midwifery, Edith Cowan University, Joondalup, Western Australia, Australia. Electronic address: [email protected].
  2. Southern District Health Board, Dunedin, New Zealand.
  3. Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
  4. Centre for Postgraduate Nursing Studies, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand; Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.

PMID: 27233142 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2016.02.013

Abstract

CONTEXT: Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom associated with many long-term conditions and is reported to cause significant levels of distress for those individuals. There is a substantial body of literature related to the nature of fatigue; however, this has not been drawn together and compared across conditions.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this review was to synthesize data on the nature of fatigue across long-term conditions.

METHODS: The review was designed as a qualitative meta-synthesis and followed the Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines for synthesizing qualitative research. The following databases were searched for the period January 1980 to January 2016, Ovid (Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsycINFO) and manual searching from the reference lists from articles identified by electronic search. Fifty-seven studies were included in the review, and findings related to the nature of fatigue were extracted and findings meta-synthesized.

RESULTS: The perceived nature of fatigue across long-term conditions was encompassed in one synthesis; the fatigue experience is without precedent, with four categories: a different fatigue to any experienced before, the intensity of fatigue is overwhelming, the trajectory of fatigue, and impact on sleep and sleep disturbance. Just over half of the participants in the included studies were diagnosed with cancer. Patterns in the experience of fatigue by condition were found for cancer-related fatigue and post-stroke fatigue where data were able to be synthesized.

CONCLUSION: Although similarities in the nature of the fatigue experienced were found across conditions, differences were also evident and could be mapped for cancer-related fatigue and post-stroke fatigue. Further qualitative research on the experience of fatigue across a wide range of chronic conditions would further contribute to understanding similarities and differences across conditions and inform both research and practice in relation to assessment and management.

Crown Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Long-term conditions; fatigue; qualitative; review

MeSH terms

Publication Types