![]() | Only 14 pages are availabe for public view |
Abstract Background: Fatigue is a subjective sensation with physical, cognitive, and affective modes of expression. It is the most prevalent symptom in patients with leukemia that may interfere with daily functioning. It may be caused by the disease, its complications and treatment. Nurses have an important role in early detection, assessment and care of fatigue among patients with leukemia. The study aim was to assess fatigue among adult patients with leukemia. A convenience sample of 220 adult male and female patients diagnosed with leukemia. Setting: outpatient clinics of oncology and nuclear medicine unit at Kasr El Aini Hospital. Design: A descriptive exploratory research design was utilized in the current study. Tools of data collection: (a) Socio-demographic and medical data, and (b) the Revised Piper fatigue scale. Results: The study results indicated that, 62.7% of patients with leukemia suffered from moderate fatigue, 24.5% suffered from severe fatigue and 12.7% of them suffered mild fatigue. Regarding to level of fatigue related to the type of leukemia it was found that 52.8% of patients with AML had moderate fatigue, 44.9% of them had severe fatigue, 57.1% of patients with ALL had severe fatigue, 68.9% of patients with CML had moderate fatigue, and 86.1% of patients with CLL had moderate fatigue. Finally, there is a highly significant correlation between total fatigue score and its total sub dimension scores. Conclusion: Level of fatigue differed between each type of leukemia as the majority of ALL patients had a severe level of fatigue, and majority of AML,CML, CLL patients had a moderate level of fatigue in different rates. Recommendation: The study recommended that assessment of fatigue is an important aspect of nursing care for patients with leukemia, assisting the patients to establish a balance between activity and rest for managing fatigue, perform further studies about fatigue in leukemia, and examine the distressing effect of fatigue on patients with leukemia |