Paper
Monday, November 5, 2007
431
Cancer-Related Fatigue and Symptomatic Experiences of Adult Groups in Taiwan
Ling-Chun Chiang, MSN, RN, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA, Lenny Chiang-Hanisko, PhD, RN, College of Nursing, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA, and Jung-Ying Tan, ScEd, RN, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Campsie, NSW, Australia.
| Learning Objective #1: recognize that cancer-related fatigue and symptomatic experiences correlate to age and gender in Chinese culture. |
| Learning Objective #2: understand common coping strategies in dealing with cancer-related fatigue among cancer patients in Chinese culture. |
For the past two decades, cancer has been the leading cause of death in the adult population in Taiwan. Previous research has shown that one of the side effects of the cancer treatment is cancer-related fatigue (CRF) which contributes to complications and complexity of symptom management and decreases quality of life. CRF frequently masks other symptoms and is under treated by health professionals. CRF has not been widely investigated in Taiwan. The purpose of this study was to examine adult cancer patients’ symptomatic experiences related to CRF in Taiwan and their coping strategies. A structured questionnaire was used to gather demographic data, health history, and treatment regimen. The 10-point Visual Analog Scale for Fatigue and Pain was used to measure the level of fatigue and pain. Participants completed questionnaires, were interviewed by the researchers, and information on pain, problematic symptoms, fatigue experience, and coping strategies were collected. A total of 224 questionnaires were completed and used for data analysis. All quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS 11.0 to measure frequency, independent t-test, and Chi-square test. Results showed that there were differences in age and gender with CRF and symptom disturbance. Adult patients (18 to 64 years) experienced more symptom disturbance than older patients (³65 years) including fatigue, pain, nausea, vomiting, oral ulcers, and poor appetite. CRF and pain severity was positively correlated. Moreover, men experienced more CRF than women, perhaps due to societal pressure to fulfill their roles in a changing patriarchal society. Rest and sleep were most commonly used coping strategies among these participants. This study provided a prolific description of the symptom experiences of Taiwanese adults with CRF. Findings may be especially helpful to health professionals working in cross-cultural settings. Understanding the results is important in planning and implementing treatment options and nursing education for cancer patients.