I get tired for no reason: A single item screening for cancer-related fatigue

This study examined the criterion validity and sensitivity. and specificity of a single item to rapidly screen Patients in ambulatory oncology clinics for cancer-related fatigue. In an effort to expand the utility of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale (ZSDS) as a screen for other symptoms, the utility of the single fatigue item wa's examined. The fatigue item reads I get tired for no reason and is rated on a Jour-point scale ranging from none or a little of the time to most or all of the time. Fifty-two subjects were administered the Zung, the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Anemia (FACTAn) scale, and the Fatigue Symptom Inventory (FSI). The Zung item was highly correlated with the ZSDS (r = 0.63, p < 0.0001) and the FACT-An (r = -0.70, p < 0.0001), as well as to the individual items Of the FSI, ranging from 0.41 (p < 0.003) to 0.71 (p < 0.0001). All 10 subjects considered to be depressed based on the ZSDS were also considered to fatigued on the FA CT-An. Setting the ZSDS item cutoff point at level 3-'A good part of the time-yielded a sensitivity of 78.95% and a specificity of 87.88%. It is concluded that a single item can be a fast and accurate way. of screening cancer patients for fatigue to trigger additional follow-up, thus expanding the utility of a depression screening tool for problems other than the pit rely psychiatric. J Pain Symptom Manage 2001:22:931-937 (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 2001.