Testing the Fatigue Assessment Questionnaire in Healthy Persons and in Cancer Patients

Abstract

In the past decade, measurement of fatigue has become an important quality of life issue, especially in the field of nursing (Winningham and Nail 1994). Lack of clarification of the concept has led to difficulties in its measurement. Studies about prevalence, correlates and possible causes are difficult to compare owing to methodological differences (Piper 1993). A review of currently available fatigue measurement instruments has led to the conclusion that for the purpose of epidemiological research with the aim of measuring the experience of fatigue in a general cancer patient population, no valid instrument is available. Previously conducted, unstructured interviews with cancer patients and healthy individuals (above) therefore formed the basis of the analysis of the descriptors of fatigue from the perspective of those concerned. These descriptors were compared with items in available instruments and then used to construct a self-report Fatigue Assessment Questionnaire (FAQ). Construction of this scale has been described in the last chapter. As only research conducted with reliability- and validity-tested instruments can be successful, the FAQ now needs to be scientifically tested.