title: Validity and Reliability of the Taiwanese Version of the General Fatigue Scale in Cancer Patients.
abstract: Fatigue has been described as the most frequent and distressing problem of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
  
  
  
  The aim of this study is to evaluate the validity and reliability of the Taiwanese version of the General Fatigue Scale (GFS-T) and to evaluate the severity of the fatigue among breast cancer patients in Taiwan.
  
  
  
  A cross-sectional research design was used, recruiting breast cancer patients from 2 medical centers in Taiwan. Patients completed the scale exploring their GFS-T, the Brief Fatigue Inventory-Taiwan Form, and the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group Performance Status. The data were collected between the day before the first chemotherapy (T1) and 1 week after the first chemotherapy (T2).
  
  
  
  A total of 171 patients participated in this study. Cronbach's α for the GFS-T at both time points both were .94. Factor analysis generated 1 factor that accounted for 73.7% of variance in participants' fatigue. The receiver operating characteristic curve analyses suggested that the GFS-T cut-point of 24 had an adequate combination of sensitivity and specificity to distinguish high and low performance status. The receiver operating characteristic curve is 0.67 (95% confidence interval, 0.59-0.75).
  
  
  
  The GFS-T is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing fatigue among cancer patients. Further research is needed to better understand predictors of cancer-related fatigue.
  
  
  
  The GFS-T can provide clinical nurses with a useful measure to assess fatigue in cancer patients.
authors.affiliation: Author Affiliations: Department of Nursing, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City and School of Nursing, National Yang-Ming University, Taipei (Dr Chou); Department of Nursing, Oriental Institute of Technology, New Taipei City (Drs Chou and Yao); Department of Health Care Management, National Taipei University of Nursing and Health Sciences, Taipei (Dr Hsieh); Department of Emergency Medicine, Cathay General Hospital, Taipei; School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan (Dr Yao); Department of Medical Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Dr Barsevick).
authors.forename: Hsiu-Ling
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Pi-Ching
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Hsieh
authors.forename: Chung-Tay
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Yao
authors.forename: Andrea M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Barsevick
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005221:Fatigue / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013624:Taiwan; D014177:Translations