Review What we know about fatigue self-management programs for people living with chronic conditions: A scoping review, 2023, Alizadeh et al.

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What we know about fatigue self-management programs for people living with chronic conditions: A scoping review

Neda Alizadeh a , Tanya Packer b,c,* , Yu-Ting Chen d , Yaser Alnasery a,e

a School of Occupational Therapy, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

b School of Health Administration, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada

c Department of Nursing, Umea University, Umea, Sweden

d Department of Occupational Therapy, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

e College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

ARTICLE INFO

Keywords: Fatigue Chronic conditions Self-management Intervention Scoping review Patient, education

ABSTRACT

Objective:

The significant impact of fatigue on the lives of patients with chronic conditions has demanded a response. One response has been the development and testing of self-management programs. Little is known about what these programs have in common or how they differ. This scoping review compared the key components of fatigue self-management programs.

Methods:

Scoping review methodology was employed. Databases of CINAHL, Academic Search Premier, PsycINFO, Cochrane and Medline were searched to identify relevant sources. Results: Included fatigue programs were compared using a three-component framework: 1) self-management strategies; 2) active patient participation; and 3) self-management support. Although all programs included some aspects of these components, the extent varied with only a few domains of these components found across all programs.

Conclusion:

The three self-management components employed in this study showed potential benefits in identifying similarities and differences across fatigue programs with comparable and distinct underlying theories. This three-component framework could facilitate identification of domains associated with positive outcomes. Practice implications: It is essential that authors of programs provide detailed descriptions to enable inter-program comparison. The three-component framework chosen for this review was capable of describing and comparing fatigue self-management programs, paving the way for more effective interventions.

Highlights

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  Comparative analysis of fatigue programs is challenging due to the lack of defined self-management components.
  
  
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  A three-component framework: self-management strategies, active patient participation, and self-management support, enables comparing programs.
  
  
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  Active patient participation is most common; self-management support is least common in fatigue programs.
  
  
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  To select best programs, therapists assess content, patient participation and support, together with their clinical judgment