Version Of Fatigue Severity Scale Research Articles

Translation and Validation of Tamil Version of Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) in Individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis

Background: Fatigue has a significant negative impact on individuals with Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA). Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) is the most widely used tool to assess fatigue severity which is a common problem in RA. Availability of FSS in local vernacular language could add more value and the study aims to construct the Tamil version of the FSS and validate it among patients with RA. Methodology: The study was conducted in 2 phases. In phase I, the English version of FSS was translated into Tamil by following the Linguistic Guidelines by mapi eprovide. In Phase II – Validation of Tamil version of FSS was carried out in 50 patients of RA by establishing; Test-retest reliability, Internal consistency, Content validity; and Convergent validity in comparison with HAQ-DI and SF-12 Results: The initial testing between Tamil FSS with English version revealed an intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) (0.821) and α(0.902). The content validity was established by Cohen’ kappa agreement k which is >80% with a significance <0.004, which shows Good substantial agreement between raters. FSS showed strong positive correlation with HAQ-DI (>0.0005) and negative correlation with SF-12 (>0.0005). The scale demonstrated excellent internal consistency ( α = 0.972) and test-retest reliability (ICC = 0.93). Conclusions: The validated Tamil version demonstrated excellent content validity as well as good internal consistency and test-retest reliability, would be a useful instrument for clinical practice and research. It can be recommended for the assessment of Fatigue severity among Tamil-speaking population with RA.

Effect of ginseng on fatigue related to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder: A double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial.

The effects of ginseng on fatigue have been proven in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), which have several similar manifestations to neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) patients. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of ginseng on fatigue in NMOSD patients. In this double-blinded randomized controlled clinical trial, 64 patients were recruited and were allocated into two study groups (ginseng or placebo) via block randomization. The participants received either 250-mg ginseng or placebo twice daily for a 3-month period. Also, the measurement of outcome was performed using the valid and reliable Persian version of fatigue severity scale (FSS) questionnaire, which was filled by patients once after enrollment in the study and once at the end of the study post-intervention. In total, 58 patients finished the study with no major side effects. There were no significant differences in demographic, clinical, as well as FSS between two study groups (p>0.05). Ginseng supplementation significantly reduced fatigue (40.21±13.51 vs. 28.97±14.18; p˂0.01), while patients in the placebo group showed significantly higher fatigue score after 3 months post-intervention (35.03±13.51 vs. 38.79±12.27; P: 0.02). The extent of changes in the fatigue score in the ginseng group was significantly greater than in the placebo group (p ˂0.01). This study revealed positive effects of ginseng on reducing fatigue in NMOSD patients with no major side effects. In this regard, further studies are warranted to evaluate and clarify the effects of ginseng on fatigue in NMOSD.

Validity and reliability of Korean version of Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) for Korean patients with multiple sclerosis

BackgroundTo determine the validity and reliability of the Korean version of the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS-K) questionnaire for patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 52 patients with MS and 102 healthy controls. Subjects were asked to complete the Korean version of Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and MFIS-K. To evaluate sleep quality, depression, pain, and quality of life, patients completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Beck Depression Scale II (BDI), the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and the Short Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36). ResultsIt was demonstrated that MFIS-K has appropriate construct validity with distinctive 3 factors (cognitive, physical, and psychosocial). The criterion validity was also confirmed with the total score and the factor scores of the patients with MS, which were all significantly higher than those of healthy controls. Convergent validity of the MFIS-K was verified with the correlations with Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) and other concurrent measures of sleep disturbances, depression, pain, and limitations in activities due to health problems. Furthermore, the internal consistency, temporal stability, and score consistency of the MFIS-K turned out acceptable. DiscussionOur results indicate that the Korean version of MFIS is a valid and reliable scale to assess fatigue in the Korean MS population.

Sleep Disorders and Fatigue among Health Care Providers Working at University Hospitals

Background and Objective: Sleep disorder and fatigue are common among health care workers (HCWs) and negative-ly affect their quality of life and caregiving to the patients. Early diagnosis and rapid modification of causative factors might prevent the potential disastrous results of these problems on personal and population health. This study aimed to evaluate the state of sleep and fatigue among HCWs of hospitals affiliated to Mazandaran University of Medical Sci-ences, Iran, and their related factors.
 Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2014 to December 2014 among HCWs at hospitals of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences. Demographic data, medical history, and occupation-al shift information were recorded. Sleep quality was assessed by the valid and reliable Persian versions of Insomnia Severity Index (ISI) and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Fatigue was evaluated by valid and reliable Persian version of Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software.
 Results: 595 HCWs participated in the study. According to ISI, 48.4% of HCWs experienced subthreshold insomnia, 25.4% were affected by moderate, and 5.0% by severe clinical insomnia. PSQI indicated poor sleep quality in 79.8% of the participants. 71.6% of HCWs had FSS of 4 or more, which was correlated to gender, age, and sleep quality. Correla-tion of sleep quality components with participants’ shift characteristics was also investigated.
 Conclusion: Sleep disorders and fatigue are common in HCWs of university hospitals. Correction of certain modifiable factors can reduce negative consequences of sleep disorders and fatigue in HCWs.

Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: evaluation of Brazilian Portuguese version of Fatigue Severity Scale and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (P4.406)

Fatigue in Multiple Sclerosis: evaluation of Brazilian Portuguese version of Fatigue Severity Scale and Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (P4.406)

Validation of an Arabic version of Fatigue Severity Scale.

Objectives:To develop and test the psychometric properties of an Arabic version of Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS-Ar) that can be used to measure fatigue in Arabic patients with disorders where fatigue is a major symptom.Methods:Forward and backward translations of FSS were undertaken to develop an Arabic version. The validity and reliability of the FSS-Ar was then tested on 28 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), 24 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), and 31 healthy subjects. Exploratory factor analysis and hypothesis testing methods were used to examine construct validity. The correlation between FSS-Ar and the vitality domain of the RAND 36-Item Health was examined to test construct validity. The study was conducted at the King Khalid University Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia between February and June 2012.Results:Using a score of ≥4.05 to define fatigue, 39 of 52 (75%) participants were fatigued compared with 10 out of 31 (32%) healthy participants. The correlation between the FSS-Ar and the vitality domain of the RAND-36 was acceptable (r = -0.46). Factor analysis showed that items of the FSS-Ar measured one underlying construct, namely, fatigue. Test-retest reliability and internal consistency of the FSS-Ar was acceptable (intraclass correlation coefficient model 2,1 = 0.80; Cronbach’s alpha = 0.84).Conclusion:The Arabic version of the FSS demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties and was able to differentiate between patients with SLE or MS, and healthy subjects.