Effects of aromatherapy on agitation in patients with dementia in the community: A quasi-experimental study.

The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) are experienced by up to 90% of patients with dementia throughout dementia. This study aims to investigate the effect of aromatherapy on agitation in patients with dementia in the community. This prospective cohort study was conducted at a single day-care center for patients with dementia located in northern Taiwan with 2-week and 4-week follow-ups, comparing the severity of agitation between 3 measure points as the primary outcome. The aromatherapy was performed over 5 consecutive days for 4 weeks. Throughout the four-week observation were analyzed by GEE. Significant differences were found in the Chinese version of Cohen-Mansfield Agitation Inventory (CCMAI) total agitation score (ß=-3.622, p=0.037) and physically non-aggressive behavior subscale (ß=-4.005, p=0.004) between aromatherapy group and control group. The severity of dementia-related agitation, especially the severity of physically non-aggressive behavior in demented patients, could be significantly reduced by a four-week intervention of aromatherapy.

Assessing hand hygiene knowledge, attitude, behavior and adherence among nursing assistants: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: This study explored hand hygiene knowledge, attitude, behaviors and adherence amongst nursing assistants. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted with structured questionnaires and direct observation. Nursing assistants were recruited from two long-term care facilities in eastern Taiwan from July to September, 2021. RESULTS: The nursing assistants had high levels of hand hygiene knowledge, attitude, and behavior, however, the direct observational revealed hand hygiene adherence at 58.6% with 17.99 seconds duration on average. Comparing with alcohol-based hand rub, the nursing assistants performed very low adherence rate with soap and water wash, and the use of paper towel was the least followed skill applying to soap and water wash. CONCLUSIONS: The study finds that hand wash with soap and water has lower adherence than the alcohol-based hand rub. Future innovations in hand hygiene, such as accessible and easy-to-use hand washing agents and easy-to-remember hand cleansing techniques will be valuable.

The decisional balance, attitudes, and practice behaviors, its predicting factors, and related experiences of advance care planning in Taiwanese patients with advanced cancer.

BACKGROUND: Patients with advanced cancer are prone to experience burdensome physical, psychological, and financial consequences. Healthcare providers may not fully appreciate advanced cancer patients' medical care autonomy, such as at that emboded by Advance Care Planning (ACP), and by doing so may compromise their quality of end-of-life (EOL). Hence, it is essential for healthcare providers to effectively assess and communicate with patients' regarding their medical decisions before their patients are incapacitated by their disease progression. The purpose of this investigation was to describe the decisional balance, attitudes, and practice behaviors of ACP and its predictors of ACP-related experiences in Taiwanese patients with advanced cancer. METHODS: This cross-sectional, descriptive study employed a mixed-methodsquantitative and qualitative design with a sample of 166 patients that were purposely recruited from in-patient oncology units at a regional teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. Study data consisted of patient replies to a 34-item self-report tool, Decisional Balance, Attitudes, Practice Behaviors of ACP (DAP-ACP) and 4 semi-structured questions. RESULT: Findings indicated that, in general, study participants exhibited favorable ACP-decisional balance and positive ACP-attitudes & practice behaviors. The results also indicated that gender, educational level, and cancer diagnosis were associated with significant differences on the "ACP-decisional balance" and "ACP-attitudes" scales. In addition, our findings documented that the participants' gender and educational level were significant predictors of both ACP-decisional balance and ACP-attitudes. Furthermore the participants' ACP-practice behaviors were predicted by ACP-decisional balance, but not with their ACP-attitudes. The qualitative analysis of the semi-structured questions identified six themes in responses to current medical decision making (e.g., compliance with physician instructions, family engagement in treatment decision-making); and eight themes pertaining to future ACP-related concerns were identified (e.g., family conflict, effectiveness of time-limited trials). CONCLUSION: To promote patients' engagement in ACP, the healthcare professional need to assess and advocate patients' concerns or attitudes regarding ACP in a timely manner. In addition, factors or concerns that might influence patients' responses to ACP derived from both the quantitative and qualitative findings of this current study need to be considered especially in initiating the dialogue regarding ACP with patients with advanced cancer. TRIAL REGISTRATION: No. CYCH 2,019,072, Date of registration 5 Dec 2019.

The explorations of the awareness, contemplation, self-Efficacy, and readiness of advance care planning, and its predictors in Taiwanese patients while receiving hemodialysis treatment.

BACKGROUND: End-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a major chronic illness worldwide, and Taiwan reports one of the highest incidence rates of ESRD with 529 cases per million population (pmp). A number of patients with ESRD patients might require lifelong hemodialysis (HD) or peritoneal dialyses (PD). Due to the progression of dialysis, patients are likely to experience other chronic comorbidities, anxiety and depression, frequent hospitalizations, and higher rates of mortality compared to patients with other types of chronic illnesses. As a result, dialysis patients are prone to experience advance care planning (ACP) needs, such as whether they withdraw from receiving dialysis while approaching their end-of-life (EOL). Yet, existing studies have shown that dialysis patients seldom receive timely consultation regarding ACP and there are limited studies examining ACP amongst Taiwan HD patients. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine ACP awareness, contemplation, self-efficacy and readiness; and factors influencing ACP readiness. DESIGN: This cross-sectional descriptive study with convenience sampling was conducted in the out-patient HD unit at a regional teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. A total of 143 ESRD patients undergoing HD treatments were recruited. A 55-item ACP engagement survey containing the subscales of awareness, contemplation, self-efficacy, and readiness was employed. The data were analyzed with t-tests, one-way ANOVAs, Pearson's correlations and multiple regressions. RESULTS: The results of our investigation revealed that approximately half of the participants (n = 67, 46.9%) were not informed of ACP. Although they reported considering their EOL, medical decisions and desired care, they demonstrated significantly low self-efficacy in discussing ACP (t= -5.272, p < 0.001). HD duration influenced all four ACP subscales; religious beliefs significantly influenced ACP-self-efficacy and readiness; and marital status, education, and primary decision-maker status significantly influenced ACP-readiness. The predictors of ACP-readiness were high self-efficacy and being the primary decision-maker (Adjusted R2 61%). CONCLUSION: Most of the HD patients in this study had low ACP-awareness, contemplation, self-efficacy, and readiness, and most had not completed any ACP-related advance directives (AD). Healthcare professionals should proactively provide HD patients with ACP-related information and answer patients' and medical decision-makers' questions in a timely manner, thereby improving the quality of EOL care.

[The Effect of Exercise Interventions on Alleviating Chemotherapy-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy: A Systematic Review].

BACKGROUND: 85%-95% of patients with cancer experience chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), which may lead to neuropathic pain, emotional distress, functional difficulties, and interpersonal problems. Although exercise interventions have been proposed for improving and preventing CIPN, evidence regarding the efficacy of these interventions has been inconsistent and of inadequate quality. In addition, few domestic systematic reviews have examined the effects of exercise on CIPN. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of exercise interventions in cancer patients with CIPN using a systematic review (SR) method. METHODS: An SR method was used in this paper by applying the concept of PICO using keywords P "cancer", I "rehabilitation", "exercise", C "usual care, standard of care", and O "chemotherapy-Induced peripheral neuropathy" in a search of the Ovid Medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE and Airiti Library databases for articles published from 2002 to 2021. Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 13 research articles were identified for review in this study. RESULTS: The 13 randomized controlled trials reviewed in this SR included 909 cancer patients during or after chemotherapy who were receiving exercise interventions. The results indicate that single or combined exercise protocols have consistent benefits in terms of improving CIPN symptoms. However, because of the relatively small sample sizes (n = 19-355) and the multiple types (n = 9), frequencies (1-7 day/week), and durations (5-60 minutes/time) of exercise protocols used in these studies, future research is necessary to explore differences in the types and subgroup effects of exercise. CONCLUSIONS: The results from this systematic review indicate that the combined exercise model has consistent benefits in terms of helping prevent and alleviate the symptoms of CIPN. In clinical practice, healthcare providers may consider encouraging cancer patients to initiate mild physical activity when their physical conditions are stable and without evident side effects from chemotherapy to minimize the impacts of CIPN on daily functioning and quality of life.

[Challenges to the Nursing Practicum During the COVID-19 Pandemic].

The COVID-19 pandemic has greatly impacted first-line medical staff as well as nursing-student clinical practicum programs. How to cooperate with the government's pandemic-prevention policies and reduce the gap between education and clinical practice represent significant challenges. In this paper, Chang Gung University of Science and Technology (CCUST) is used as an example to show how schools in Taiwan have effectively adapted the fundamentals of nursing practicum programs to the current pandemic using e-learning, group discussions, case analysis, clinical skill practice, and clinical case simulation scenario exercises. The program at CCUST both takes into account the safety of students and has achieved all critical nursing practice goals. After implementation of these adjustments, satisfaction among nursing students with the practicum environment and the clinical instructors was found to be significantly higher for the on-campus clinical practicum than for the off-campus clinical practicum. Furthermore, the results of qualitative data analyses show that nursing students in the on-campus practicum gained significant knowledge and experience and commented positively on their experience. For example, the students indicated that they were satisfied with the simulated clinical environment of the CCC, the teaching strategies and adaptability of the instructor, and the application of virtual reality scenario cases to enhance skill proficiency and learning outcomes. The adjusted nursing clinical practicum described in this paper may be used as a reference to ensure the quality of nursing clinical practicum programs is maintained during epidemics.

The exploration of the knowledge, attitudes and practice behaviors of advanced care planning and its related predictors among Taiwanese nurses.

BACKGROUND: Despite the documented and well known patient benefits of ACP, the completion of ACP, only a minority of patients, during the advanced or EOL stage of their illnesses, receive such care. The misconceptions about ACP for healthcare providers, such as nurses, might become potential barriers to the effective implication of ACP. Also, from the transcultural perspective, it is evident essential to explore Taiwanese nurses' attitudes, knowledge, and actions of ACP. The purposes of this study were to explore the implication of ACP or hospice care for nurses caring for non-cancer chronic illness patients at a regional teaching hospital in Taiwan; and, to identify predictors of those nurses' knowledge, attitudes, and actions toward ACP. METHODS: This cross-sectional study with a purposive sample of 218 nurses was conducted at a teaching hospital in southern Taiwan. Structured questionnaires were employed and data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, t-test, one-way ANOVAs, Pearson's correlation and multiple regressions. RESULTS: 16.1% of Taiwanese physicians actively initiated ACP issues or conversations with patients or their family members. Nurses' attitudes toward ACP were fairly positive but their knowledge about ACP was insufficient and actions of ACP were not positively executed. The predictors of ACP-Knowledge (ACP-K) included position title, education hours and lacking of educational training. The predictors of ACP-Attitude (ACP-A) included ACP-K and "fear of patient or family member not accepting", whereas ACP-A, position title, "patients do not feel necessary" and "not sure physician's concern" were the predictors of ACP-Act. CONCLUSION: Continuous education and training for nurses regarding ACP needs to be improved by taking those predictors found in this current study into account, and more studies on the nurse's role in ACP also should be further examined. TRIAL REGISTRATION: KAFGH 106-012. Date of registration 1 May 2017.

[The Establishment and Examination of the Reliability, Validity, Discrimination, and Difficulty of Nursing Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE)].

BACKGROUND: The objective structured clinical examination (OSCE) is one of the evaluation strategies used to examine the clinical competence of nursing students. More attention needs to be paid to establishing an examination that is based on the standardized protocol and on reliability and validity. PURPOSE: The aims of this study were to develop an OSCE that is based on a standardized protocol and to analyze the content validity and predictive validity, inter-rater consistency, internal consistency, item-to-total correlation, and the degree of discrimination and difficulty of this OSCE. METHODS: Based on the blueprint for OSCEs that use an 8-station format, this study used a descriptive, cross-sectional design and a sample population of 207 senior students who were preparing for their last-mile practicum at a nursing technology university in northern Taiwan. The study period lasted from September 2015 to October 2016. Furthermore, the validity, reliability, degree of discrimination, and difficulty of the OSCE were examined. RESULTS: An OSCE with an eight-station format was developed. The content validity index (CVI) was .85-1.0, inter-rater reliability was .80-1.0, Cronbach' alpha internal consistency was .53-.82, and item-to-total correlation was .36-.63. In addition, the level of difficulty of the OSCE was easy to moderate and the discrimination of the OSCE ranged from fair to excellent. Meanwhile, the OSCE scores of the participants appeared to be a valid predictor of scores on the last mile practicum. CONCLUSIONS / IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: According to the standardized protocol of OSCE development, an 8- station nursing OSCE format is reliable and valid, providing fair levels of difficulty and discrimination. The developed OSCE may be applied to evaluate the clinical competence of nursing students prior to beginning their last mile practicum. The results from the present study may provide a reference for nursing educators who are responsible for developing OSCE evaluation strategies.

[Construction and Application of Innovative Education Technology Strategies in Nursing].

The evolution of information and communication technologies has deeply impacted education reform, promoted the development of digital-learning models, and stimulated the development of diverse nursing education strategies in order to better fulfill needs and expand in new directions. The present paper introduces the intelligent-learning resources that are available for basic medical science education, problem-based learning, nursing scenario-based learning, objective structured clinical examinations, and other similar activities in the Department of Nursing at Chang Gung University of Science and Technology. The program is offered in two parts: specialized classroom facilities and cloud computing / mobile-learning. The latter includes high-fidelity simulation classrooms, online e-books, and virtual interactive simulation and augmented reality mobile-learning materials, which are provided through multimedia technology development, learning management systems, web-certificated examinations, and automated teaching and learning feedback mechanisms. It is expected that the teaching experiences that are shared in this article may be used as a reference for applying professional wisdom teaching models into nursing education.

Adherence to prescribed exercise time and intensity declines as the exercise program proceeds: findings from women under treatment for breast cancer.

PURPOSE: Adherence to prescribed exercise is a challenge for cancer patients undergoing treatment. The changing pattern of exercise adherence over time cannot be fully understood by an overall measure of adherence. This study was aimed to identify the trajectory of exercise adherence and its predictors for women with breast cancer during their chemotherapy. METHODS: Participants were 78 women with breast cancer assigned to the exercise arm of a randomized control trial. Based on the weekly adherence rates in time and intensity, patients were classified as good (>100%), acceptable (80-100%), and poor (<80%) adherents. Data were analyzed using ordinal logistic hierarchical linear modeling. RESULTS: The trajectories for both time and intensity adherence declined significantly. The decline in exercise-time adherence was significantly slower in women who reported higher interest in exercise. Women with higher perceived importance of exercise, early disease stage, and employed were more likely to be classified as good intensity adherents. Poorer weekly adherence for both exercise time and intensity was associated with higher fatigue level for that week. CONCLUSIONS: Adherence to exercise adherence in breast cancer patients declined as the dose of exercise prescription increased. Factors influencing overall adherence and adherence trend were identified.

Beneficial Effects of Concomitant Long-Acting Injectable Antipsychotics on Time to Rehospitalization in Patients With Treatment-Resistant Schizophrenia Receiving Clozapine: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: This study aimed to assess the association between long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic prescription and the risk of psychiatric hospitalization in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) receiving clozapine.Methods: In this retrospective cohort study at a single tertiary psychiatric center, we analyzed rehospitalization hazard ratios (HRs) in refractory schizophrenia patients, classified by DSM-IV-TR and DSM-5 criteria. We examined various psychotropic regimens-clozapine with or without other oral antipsychotics (OAPs) or LAI antipsychotics. Subgroups were stratified by daily clozapine dosage and previous admissions.Results: A total of 719 patients were included in the study. Analyses were conducted on all the patients over 3- month, 6-month, and 1-year periods. Patients treated with a combination of clozapine and LAI antipsychotics (CLO + LAI) had a significantly higher number of previous hospitalizations (P = .003), and a higher daily dose of clozapine (P < .001) was found in the CLO + OAP group than in the CLO (monotherapy) group and the CLO + LAI group. Patients treated with LAI antipsychotic comedication had significantly lower HRs for rehospitalization in 1 year among 3 studied groups. Moreover, the protective effects of LAI antipsychotics were observed in all the subgroups stratified by daily clozapine dosage and number of previous admissions to represent disease severity.Conclusion: The combination of clozapine and LAI antipsychotics was associated with a significantly lower risk of rehospitalization compared to both the combination of clozapine and OAPs and clozapine monotherapy. The use of LAI antipsychotics should be considered to prevent rehospitalization in patients with TRS who are already being treated with clozapine.

Factors Influencing Health Promotion Lifestyle in Female Breast Cancer Survivors: The Role of Health Behavior Self-Efficacy and Associated Factors.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the factors influencing health-promoting lifestyles and the changes in health behavior self-efficacy and health-promoting lifestyles among female breast cancer survivors over a 6-month period. METHODS: A longitudinal design with purposive sampling was deployed. Data collection occurred at the baseline (T1), 3 months (T2), and 6 months (T3). In total, 53 breast cancer survivors agreed to participate. All participants completed the first two rounds of data collection, 49 participants completed data collection at the 6-month mark (T3). The Chinese versions of the Self-Rated Abilities for Health Practices Scale (SRAHP) and the Health-Promoting Lifestyle Profile (HPLP) were used. RESULTS: Health behavior self-efficacy and health-promoting lifestyle scores increased over time. Age, impaired cardiac function, those taking a career break, psychological well-being, and responsible health practice in self-efficacy for health behaviors were significant predictors of health-promoting lifestyle. CONCLUSIONS: Younger breast cancer survivors, those taking a career break, and those with poor health behavior self-efficacy were less likely to engage in a health-promoting lifestyle and may require guidance in improving overall health behaviors. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING PRACTICE: Healthcare providers should not only be aware of the suboptimal health promotion lifestyle in breast cancer survivors but also focus on enhancing health behavior self-efficacy. This is particularly crucial for younger breast cancer survivors or those currently unemployed.

Dose-response analysis of aripiprazole in patients with schizophrenia in Taiwan.

Background: Aripiprazole is a third-generation antipsychotic agent with acceptable efficacy and a good safety profile. Previous studies have indicated the therapeutic serum concentration of aripiprazole to be 100 to 350 ng/ml; however, most of these studies examined a Western population. Patients with schizophrenia from Tungs' Taichung MetroHarbor Hospital in central Taiwan were recruited to analyze the dose-response relationship of aripiprazole in the Chinese population. Objective: We aimed to investigate whether a serum concentration of aripiprazole higher than the current suggested range leads to higher response rates. Design: A prospective cohort study was designed to investigate the response rates in different studied cohorts grouped by serum concentration of aripiprazole. Data Sources and Methods: Data of 64 patients who presented to a single medical center in central Taiwan and who received therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) were obtained. Serum concentrations of aripiprazole were correlated with the clinical response of patients by using the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) scores. Results: The mean concentration of aripiprazole was 432.1 ± 275.1 ng/ml in the study cohort. Among the much-improved patients, the mean serum concentration of aripiprazole was 494 ± 273 ng/ml (25th-75th percentiles 264-666 ng/ml), which was higher than the current recommended therapeutic target of 100-350 ng/ml for aripiprazole. The response rate in the severe group (baseline CGI score of 6 or 7) was significantly higher than in the moderate group (baseline CGI score of 4 or 5; 86.7% versus 55.9%, p = 0.007). Conclusion: A significantly higher response rate was observed in the study cohort with serum aripiprazole concentrations over 300 ng/ml. Therefore, dosing higher than the current recommended range may potentially improve the treatment efficacy in the Chinese population. Because the serum concentration varies among patients due to multiple intrinsic and extrinsic factors, TDM, especially in outpatients, is recommended if the clinical response is limited.

Non-randomized preliminary study of an education and elastic-band resistance exercise program on severity of neuropathy, physical function, muscle strength and endurance & quality of life in colorectal cancer patients experiencing oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy.

PURPOSE: Many colorectal cancer (CRC) patients report having Oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy (OXAIPN), compromising their overall quality of life (QoL). Yet, the existing studies on examining the effects of elastic-band resistance exercise yielded inconsistent results and there was a scare study with CRC population employing a longitudinal research design. The purpose of this non-randomized preliminary study was to examine the effects of an educational program providing skills and knowledge about OXAIPN along with home-based lower extremity elastic-band exercise training in a sample (n = 42) of Taiwanese patients with CRC. METHOD: A quasi-experimental study with one-group, pretest-posttest repeated measures and longitudinal design was employed. The 4.5-month interventional protocol included 8 sessions of face-to-face education from the 3rd to the 7th cycles of chemotherapy. Physical exams, muscle strength and endurance, and self-reports regarding adverse impacts of OXAIPN and QoL were obtained at three time points throughout chemotherapy course. RESULTS: The most consistently significant increase was the participants' muscle strength and endurance measured with one-repetition maximum and 6-min walk distance, respectively (both P < .001). The participants' OXAIPN-related QoL showed significant improvements at some time points of the chemotherapy cycles, but not others. CONCLUSION: Study findings indicated that an educational program combined with knowledge about OXAIPN symptom management and skills with lower extremity resistance training had potential benefits over time on muscle strength and endurance and autonomic dimension of CIPN-related QoL. These preliminarily results may assist healthcare providers to incorporate self-management strategies such as lower extremity exercise for patients with OXAIPN to partially mitigate its negative effects.

The effect of a 12-week home-based walking program on reducing fatigue in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy: A randomized controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is the most common symptom experienced by cancer patients during treatment and can last long after completing treatment. Fatigue in cancer patients who have completed treatment is well known to be reduced by exercise, but the effect of exercise on reducing fatigue in patients under treatment has been inconsistent. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to examine short-term and long-term effects of an individually tailored, home-based brisk walking program on reducing fatigue in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: For this randomized controlled trial, women were recruited from a medical center in northern Taiwan if they were diagnosed with stages I-III breast cancer and experienced insomnia, fatigue, pain, or depressive symptoms after their first cycle of chemotherapy. Consenting participants (N = 159) were randomly assigned to either an exercise (12-week home-based walking program) group (n = 81) or an attention-control group (n = 78). METHODS: The 12-week, home-based brisk walking program started on the first day of the third chemotherapy cycle. Fatigue was measured by the Brief Fatigue Inventory. Covariates, i.e., functional performance, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, and exercise-related variables, were also measured. Data were collected at baseline, two times during the exercise intervention, and five times after the exercise intervention (eight times in total). The effects of time-varying and time-invariant predictors on fatigue were analyzed by multilevel modeling. RESULTS: Fatigue levels increased over time for both groups, even after completing treatment. At the end of the 12-week exercise program, the exercise group had less fatigue than the attention-control group, and this group difference was maintained for the whole study period. At the end of exercise program, women who had spent more time exercising before diagnosis had less fatigue than those who had exercised less often. In addition, patients' fatigue levels at various time points fluctuated along with their functional performance, sleep disturbance, and depression. CONCLUSIONS: Our tailored, home-based brisk walking program effectively reduced fatigue in breast cancer patients under chemotherapy, and this effect lasted after completing treatment.

[The application of student-centered teaching to nursing education].

Nursing education in Taiwan is currently facing an extensive reform toward student-centeredness. However, few articles were found in the Taiwanese nursing literature focusing on student-centered teaching and nurse educators in Taiwan may have different interpretations of it. Misinterpretation of the term 'student-centeredness' may lead educational reform into inconsistency or ineffectiveness. This study aims to expand student-centered teaching's application to nursing education, stressing that not only the teaching techniques but also a consistent thinking approach is essential for educational reform. The content of this article addresses the meaning of student-centeredness and the differences between teacher-centeredness and student-centeredness. The article also advocates Weimers' five key changes toward student-centered teaching: the balance of power, the function of content, the role of the teacher, the responsibility for learning, and the purpose and process of evaluation, and further expounds their application to nursing education. Hopefully this article can provide Taiwanese nursing educators and students with an explicit view of student-centeredness and facilitate a more effective application of it to educational reform in nursing.

Changes in and predictors of severity of fatigue in women with breast cancer: A longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Fatigue is the most common symptom experienced by cancer patients. However, longitudinal studies of changes in the severity and predictors of fatigue are limited. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to evaluate changes in fatigue severity in women with breast cancer prior to and for twelve months after surgery. Factors that affected the severity and the trajectory of fatigue were identified. DESIGN, SETTINGS, PARTICIPANTS: This observational prospective study approached 334 women who were scheduled for breast cancer surgery in a medical center located in northern Taiwan. Among the 334 women, 239 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The final sample size used for the data analysis was 200. METHODS: Fatigue, depressive symptom, and symptom distress were evaluated in women prior to and at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12 months after surgery for breast cancer. Hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) was applied where level-1 data consisted of repeated observations of study variables within each subject and level-2 data consisted of static characteristics of individual subject. RESULTS: The fatigue levels ranged from 1.92 to 3.09. Changes in fatigue severity demonstrated a quadratic trajectory that increased and reached the peak at the second month after the surgery, followed by a gradual decreased. After adjusting for the effect of receipt of chemotherapy, symptom distress, and depressive symptom, the quadratic change pattern for fatigue became imperceptible. Women who had a partial mastectomy (P=0.028), had a higher educational level (P=0.048), were married (P=0.043), and had poorer functional performance at diagnosis (P=0.043) had higher levels of fatigue. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who underwent surgery for breast cancer reported mild to moderate levels of fatigue over a period of 12 months. Fatigue levels fluctuated with patients' level of depressive symptoms, symptom distress, and receipt of chemotherapy.