Ream, E., Richardson, A., & Alexander-Dann, C. (2006). Supportive intervention for fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy: a randomized controlled trial. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 31, 148–161.
To help patients manage fatigue, as well as optimize activity and functioning, through energy conservation and management.
The intervention was comprised of four principle components:
The intervention was provided over the first three treatment cycles.
Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.
The study was a randomized, two-arm (standard versus experimental treatment), unblinded, controlled trial.
The experimental group experienced a 20% pre-/posttest decrease in the different dimensions of fatigue, whereas a negligible difference was observed for the control group. Across all measures of fatigue (VASs and the vitality subscale of the SF-36), the experimental group reported less fatigue by the end of the study than the control. The intervention was particularly successful in decreasing distress evoked by fatigue (p < 0.01) and reducing the impact of fatigue on favored pastimes (p < 0.02). Analysis of the mean fatigue score revealed a significant between-group difference in global fatigue (p < 0.03).