Identifying Clinically Meaningful Fatigue with the Fatigue Symptom Inventory

Abstract

The Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI) has been used extensively to assess and measure fatigue in a number of clinical populations. The purpose of the present study was to further establish its utility by examining its operating characteristics and determining the optimal cutoff score for identifying clinically meaningful fatigue. The SF-36 Vitality scale, a measure widely used to identify individuals with significant fatigue-related disability, was used to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the FSI. Results indicate that a score of 3 or greater on those items assessing fatigue in the past week is the optimal cutoff score for identifying clinically meaningful fatigue. Individuals who scored at or above the cutoff also reported significantly greater fatigue interference, more days of fatigue on average, and fatigue a greater proportion of each day in the past week. Findings suggest that the FSI can be used to discriminate effectively between individuals with and without clinically meaningful fatigue.

Inflammation and Behavioral Symptoms After Breast Cancer Treatment: Do Fatigue, Depression, and Sleep Disturbance Share a Common Underlying Mechanism?

“…The average fatigue severity score was 3.85, and 64% of the sample scored greater than the clinically significant cutoff of 3. 36 The average score on the PSQI was 8.02; 65% percent scored greater than the clinically significant cutoff of 5, and 46% scored greater than the alternative cutoff of 8 that was suggested for patients with chronic illness, including cancer. 41 The average score on the BDI-II was 9.15, and 25% percent of women scored greater than the clinically significant cutoff of 14.…”

“…Fatigue was assessed by using the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI), a valid and reliable, 14-item measure specifically designed to assess fatigue in cancer populations. [35][36][37] Items that assessed average fatigue, most fatigue, and least fatigue in the past week were averaged to obtain a measure of fatigue severity. 36 Depressive symptoms were assessed by using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), a 21-item measure that assesses cognitive, affective, and vegetative symptoms of depression during the prior 2 weeks with excellent reliability and validity.…”

“…[35][36][37] Items that assessed average fatigue, most fatigue, and least fatigue in the past week were averaged to obtain a measure of fatigue severity. 36 Depressive symptoms were assessed by using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II), a 21-item measure that assesses cognitive, affective, and vegetative symptoms of depression during the prior 2 weeks with excellent reliability and validity. 38 The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was used to assess subjective sleep quality and disturbances over the prior month.…”

Prevalence and determinants of fatigue in patients with moderate to severe chronic GvHD

“…Lower vitality scores reflect greater fatigue, and scores of ⩽ 40 may be considered to represent severe fatigue. [46][47][48] Patients who were classified as fatigued based on their response to the single item from the Lee Scale had a mean vitality score of 37.8 (s.d. ± 1.14), whereas those who were classified as not fatigued had a mean vitality score of 48.9 (s.d.…”

Severe fatigue after kidney transplantation: a highly prevalent, disabling and multifactorial symptom

“…Even though fatigue seems to decrease after kidney transplantation, sparse studies indicate that kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) experience more fatigue than healthy controls [7,8]. Rodrigue et al [6] even classified 59% of recipients with high fatigue severity, based on an earlier defined cutoff score for clinically relevant fatigue determined in a sample of healthy women [9].…”