title: Comparing the retrospective reports of fatigue using the Fatigue Symptom Index with daily diary ratings in women receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Fatigue, one of the most common side effects of chemotherapy, is typically assessed via retrospective recall (e.g., over the past week). It is unknown how such retrospective recall of fatigue correlates with daily ratings among people receiving chemotherapy.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The current study compared fatigue recorded in daily diaries with retrospective ratings using the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) in patients receiving chemotherapy for gynecologic cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  During the week before and the week after their first infusion of chemotherapy, patients completed daily diaries at 10 AM, 2, and 6 PM and the FSI at the end of each week.
  
  
  RESULTS
  FSI and diary ratings of peak, lowest, and average fatigue were significantly correlated (P < 0.001). When peak, end, average, and variance diary ratings were regressed separately on the average FSI item, each was significant pre-chemotherapy (P < 0.01) and post-chemotherapy (P < 0.05). However, when entered into a stepwise regression model, only the average fatigue diary rating was retained, explaining 52% of the variance pre-chemotherapy and 54% of the variance post-chemotherapy average FSI item (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The FSI keyed to the past week accurately reflects daily ratings of fatigue among patients receiving chemotherapy. This study has important implications, as completing retrospective ratings of fatigue may be less burdensome for cancer patients than daily assessments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Outcomes and Behavior, Moffitt Cancer Center, 12902 Magnolia Drive, Tampa, FL 33612, USA.
authors.forename: Kristin M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Phillips
authors.forename: Leigh Anne
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Faul
authors.forename: Brent J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Small
authors.forename: Paul B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
authors.forename: Sachin M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Apte
authors.forename: Heather S L
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Jim
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017028:Caregivers; D015984:Causality; D015897:Comorbidity; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005833:Genital Neoplasms, Female / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009864:Ontario / Q000453:epidemiology; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015995:Prevalence; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000592:standards; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016387:Women's Health
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents