Post-stroke fatigue (PSF) is the most common symptom three months after stroke. This disabling condition has a major negative influence on patients’ rehabilitation, functioning and return to work. In aprevious longitudinal study, we showed that fatigue in the acute-phase following stroke is anindependent risk factor for poorer physical health 18 months later. Other studies have shown that PSFpredicts lower quality of life and higher mortality. PSF is a subjective phenomenon, and the diagnosis isbased on patient self-report. However, no patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) exists thatconsiders the complex nature of PSF, which impairs the ability of health professionals and researchersto adequately diagnose PSF. Further, none of the currently used PROMs was specifically developed todiagnose fatigue in stroke patients. For both research and clinical purposes, it is therefore critical todevelop a valid and reliable PROM that can support the clinical diagnosis of PSF:1) In clinical settings, the routine use of a PSF PROM and a comprehensive assessment of eachpatient’s individual fatigue profile could facilitate early intervention and treatment in the acute phaseafter stroke and serve as a treatment evaluation throughout specialized care and during rehabilitation.Use of PROMs is critical to improving symptom control, increasing supportive care measures andoptimizing patient satisfaction and health outcomes.2) In PSF research, one of the major challenges is to accurately identify patients with PSF and classifyits different types. A novel and specific tool could provide a platform for further insight into the diseasecharacteristics and facilitate the development of new and tailored treatments.
The overall aim of this study is to develop a valid PROM that can support the clinical diagnosis of PSF.
To achieve this overall aim, this study has two specific objectives:
1) In collaboration with users (both stroke survivors and health professionals), develop a PROM forassessing and diagnosing PSF. The PROM will include following domains: characteristics, severity,interference and management.
2) Evaluate the validity of the developed PSF PROM in a stroke population.