Screening and Assessment of Cancer-Related Fatigue: A Clinical Practice Guideline for Health Care Providers.
Mary Insana Fisher, Joy C Cohn, Shana E Harrington and 2 others
PMID 36179114WHAT IT FOUND
Screening for cancer-related fatigue is inconsistent.
The EORTC-QLQ-C30 is the only Grade A screening tool. For assessment, use the Piper Fatigue Scale-Revised, FACIT-F, or PROMIS Fatigue Short Forms. Choose tools based on the patient's stage of survivorship and language needs.
Key findings
01The EORTC-QLQ-C30 is the only screening tool with a Grade A recommendation, taking less than 10 minutes to complete and available in over 110 languages.
02The Piper Fatigue Scale-Revised, FACIT-F, and PROMIS Fatigue Short Forms are the three Grade A assessment tools for evaluating the multidimensional nature of cancer-related fatigue.
03There is no objective diagnostic standard for cancer-related fatigue, so all screening and assessment relies on patient self-report.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTsWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The review only included studies published in English, potentially overlooking validated tools in other languages. Most tools rely on self-report with no objective diagnostic standard. Many tools lack established minimal detectable change or minimally clinically important difference, making them poor choices for tracking progress over time. The number of available tools (25) creates inconsistency in measurement across studies and clinics. Costs and licensing fees for some tools (like MDASI and PROMIS CAT) may limit accessibility.
Declared interests
The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) provided funding for the development of this clinical practice guideline.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume a translated version of a fatigue scale is valid for your patient population. Validation requires psychometric study in the specific language and culture, not just a direct translation. Many tools listed as available in other languages have not been validated in those contexts.