A Qualitative Exploration of Fatigue in End-Stage Kidney Disease

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    A Qualitative Exploration of Fatigue in End-Stage Kidney Disease

  • IRAS ID

    194204

  • Contact name

    Federica Picariello

  • Contact email

    federica.picariello@kcl.ac.uk

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 5 months, 31 days

  • Research summary

    It is increasingly clear that fatigue added on to an already debilitating condition can further deteriorate the wellbeing, functioning, and outcomes of patients. The main objective of this qualitative study is to gather a more in-depth and holistic understanding of the experience of fatigue from the perspective of End-Stage Kidney Disease (ESKD) patients, across treatment modes (dialysis patients, transplant patients, pre-dialysis patients). Compared to other chronic illnesses, such as multiple sclerosis, cancer, or rheumatoid arthritis, far less qualitative research is available on fatigue in ESKD. To date, the available qualitative studies provide insights on the intensity of fatigue renal patients experience and how intrusive and debilitating fatigue can be. This study will explore not only the mere portrayal of fatigue and its consequences on functioning, but also the strategies people use to manage their fatigue and the beliefs they hold in relation to fatigue. This will be approached via 25 audio-recorded interviews over the phone with adult ESKD patients, at the time convenient to the patients. The interview questions will be broad and open-ended, e.g. Can you tell me about the fatigue you experience since your kidney disease? How does fatigue affect your life and daily functioning? Tell me what you usually do when you experience fatigue?. It is expected that each interview will last 50 to 70 minutes. This study will be able to provide insights as to what coping behaviours might be helpful, the qualitative difference between general fatigue, illness-related fatigue and post-dialysis fatigue, and overall differences in fatigue experiences, illness beliefs and coping strategies depending on treatment mode. This is important to develop a comprehensive fatigue model in ESKD built directly from the experiences of patients.

  • REC name

    South East Scotland REC 02

  • REC reference

    16/SS/0037

  • Date of REC Opinion

    1 Feb 2016

  • REC opinion

    Further Information Favourable Opinion