Hostname: page-component-76fb5796d-2lccl Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-26T17:10:50.228Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Fatigue in relatives of palliative patients

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 June 2009

Maria E. Carlsson
Maria E. Carlsson*
Affiliation:
Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
*
Address correspondence and reprint requests to: Maria E. Carlsson, Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University, Döbelnsgatan 2 S 752 37 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail: Maria.carlsson@pubcare.uu.se
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objectives:

The relatives’ burdens in palliative care are considerable and may cause fatigue. The overall aim of this study was to gain a greater understanding of fatigue in relatives of patients cared for in palliative care settings.

Methods:

This study has a descriptive, comparative, and cross-sectional design. The sample consisted of relatives of all patients cared for in palliative care settings in Uppsala County during a specific day. Relatives completed a questionnaire consisting of the Multidimensional Fatique Inventory (MFI-20) and questions from the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS) and Karolinska Sleep questionnaire (KSQ).

Results:

Relatives (n = 56) scored high on every dimension on the MFI-20 scale. Two significant negative correlations were found to exist between age and fatigue, with younger relatives reporting more mental fatigue (p < .01) and more reduced activity (p < .01) than older relatives. Relatives of patients in institutional care had higher values concerning mental fatigue (p < .01) and reduced motivation (p < .05). Relatives of mostly bedridden patients were significantly more tired but did not have significantly less motivation than relatives of mostly ambulatory patients.

Significance of results:

The findings imply that fatigue is highly prevalent in relatives of patients in palliative care. The sample in this study scored higher in comparison with norm values and also in comparison with relatives of patients with end-stage renal disease. Their scores were similar to those of cancer patients undergoing radiotherapy.

Keywords

RelativesFatiguePalliative care settings
Type
Original Articles
Information
Palliative & Supportive Care , Volume 7 , Issue 2 , June 2009 , pp. 207 - 211
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Ahlberg, K. (2004). Cancer-related fatigue experience and outcomes. Doctoral dissertation. The Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborgs Universitet.Google Scholar
Ahlberg, K., Ekman, T., Wallgren, A., et al. (2005). Fatigue, psychological distress, coping resources and functional status during radiotherapy for patients with uterine cancer. Oncology Nursing Forum, 32, 633–640.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Åkerstedt, T. & Gillberg, M. (1990). Subjective and objective sleepiness in the active individual. International Journal of Neuroscience, 52, 29–37.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Axelsson, B. & Sjödén, P.-O. (1998). Quality of life of cancer patients and their spouses in palliative home care. Palliative Medicine, 12, 29–39.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Carlsson, M. & Rollison, B. (2003). A comparison of patients dying at home and patients dying at a hospice: Sociodemographic factors and caregivers’ experiences. Palliative & Supportive Care, 1, 33–39.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Fakhoury, W. & McCarthy, M. (1998). Can the experience of caring at home affect carers retrospective evaluation of community care services? Scandinavian Journal of Caring Sciences, 12, 179–185.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fürst, C.J. & Åhsberg, E. (2001). Dimensions of fatigue during radiotherapy. An application of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory. Supportive Care in Cancer, 9, 355–360.Google ScholarPubMed
Gomas, J. (1993). Palliative care at home: A reality or mission impossible? Palliative Medicine, 7(Suppl. 3), 45–59.Google Scholar
Hinton, J. (1994). Which patients with terminal cancer are admitted from home care? Palliative Medicine, 8, 197–210.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hjermstad, M., Fayers, P., Bjordal, K., et al. (1998). Using reference data on quality of life: The importance of adjusting for age and gender, exemplified by the EORTC QLQ-C30 (+3). European Journal of Cancer, 34, 1381–1389.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, S. & Given, B. (1993). Fatigue affecting family caregivers of cancer patients. Supportive Care in Cancer, 1, 321–325.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kecklund, G. & Åkerstedt, T. (1992). The psychometric properties of the Karolinska sleep questionnaire. Journal of Sleep Research, 1(Suppl. 1), 113.Google Scholar
Richardson, A. (1998). Measuring fatigue in patients with cancer. Supportive Care in Cancer, 6, 94–100.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rollison, B. & Carlsson, M. (2002). Evaluation of advanced home care (AHC). The next-of-kin's experiences. European Journal of Oncology Nursing, 6, 100–106.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schneider, R. (2003). Fatigue among caregivers of chronic renal failure patients: A principal components analysis. Nephrology Nursing Journal, 30, 629–633.Google ScholarPubMed
Schwarz, R., Krauss, O. & Hinz, A. (2003). Fatigue in the general population. Onkologie, 26, 140–144.Google ScholarPubMed
Smets, E.M.A., Garssen, B., Bonke, B., et al. (1995). The multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI): Psychometric qualities of an instrument to assess fatigue. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 39, 315–325.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Socialstyrelsen. (1999). “Nöjda och trötta” Personalens och de anhörigas upplevelser av hemsjukvård. Stockholm: Socialstyrelsen. (Swedish National Board of Health and welfare. (1999). “Content but tired” The staffs and the next-of-kins' experiences of home-care. Stockholm: Socialstyrelse. (Swedish).)Google Scholar
Stone, P., Richards, M. & Hardy, J. (1998). Fatigue in patients with cancer. European Journal of Cancer, 34, 1670–1676.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Watt, T., Groenvold, M., Bjorner, J.B., et al. (2000). Fatigue in the Danish general population. Influence of sociodemographic factors and disease. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 54, 827–833.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed