Cancer-related Fatigue, Neoplasms (Cancer / Tumors)
Conditions
Keywords
Holistic care, Integrative medicine, Integrated Chinese and Western medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chinese herbal medicine, Sleep hygiene, Aromatherapy, Nutrition counseling, Oncology nursing, Cancer-related fatigue
Brief summary
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a common and debilitating symptom in patients with cancer. Evidence-based non-pharmacological approaches include sleep hygiene, physical activity, nutritional management, and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). This study evaluates the clinical effectiveness of an interdisciplinary holistic program integrating Chinese and Western therapies for CRF among hospitalized cancer patients receiving integrated care. Approximately 100 participants will be enrolled and followed for up to 3 months.
Detailed description
Eligible hospitalized cancer patients receiving integrated Chinese and Western care will be enrolled after providing informed consent. Participants will complete a CRF questionnaire and receive a non-invasive holistic integrative care program, including patient education, sleep hygiene, exercise guidance, nutritional assessment/intervention, and TCM-related care. The primary endpoint is change in CRF score. Secondary endpoints include TCM constitution assessment, vital signs, anthropometrics, complete blood count, and liver/renal function tests. Participants will be followed for 3 months from enrollment.
Interventions
OTHERIntegrated Chinese and Western Holistic Care Program
An interdisciplinary integrative care program combining Western supportive care and Traditional Chinese Medicine to manage cancer-related fatigue in hospitalized oncology patients. Core components include fatigue assessment, patient education and symptom management guidance, sleep hygiene, exercise encouragement, aromatherapy and/or massage, nutrition assessment and counseling, and shared decision-making. Traditional Chinese Medicine consultation may provide acupuncture and/or Chinese herbal medicine according to patient needs and clinical judgment.
Sponsors
Taichung Tzu Chi Hospital
Study design
Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
SUPPORTIVE_CARE
Masking
NONE
Intervention model description
Single-group, nonrandomized, open-label, quasi-experimental evaluation of an interdisciplinary holistic care program for hospitalized adult patients with cancer-related fatigue. The program integrates nursing education, sleep hygiene (optional aromatherapy), exercise promotion, dietician consultation, and Traditional Chinese Medicine modalities.
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
20 Years to 95 Years
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
* Inclusion Criteria: Signed informed consent form. Age 20 to 95 years. Receiving integrated Chinese and Western holistic care. Agree to provide clinically relevant data for this study.
Exclusion criteria
Refuse to continue participation during the study period, or the family requests discontinuation (withdrawal). Psychiatric disorder that makes the participant unable to cooperate.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Change in Cancer-Related Fatigue (CRF) Score (0-10) | From admission (baseline) through discharge (last in-hospital assessment; up to 30 days) | CRF is assessed using the Taiwan Society of Cancer Palliative Medicine fatigue scale (0-10) during hospitalization. Peak CRF score is defined as the maximum recorded CRF score from admission to discharge. Discharge CRF score is defined as the last in-hospital CRF assessment prior to discharge. The primary outcome is the within-participant change in CRF score from peak to discharge. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Proportion of Participants With Moderate-to-Profound CRF at Discharge (CRF Score ≥4) | At discharge (last in-hospital assessment; up to 30 days after admission) | Percentage of participants whose discharge CRF score is ≥4 (moderate or above) on the Taiwan Society of Cancer Palliative Medicine fatigue scale (0-10). |
| Distribution of CRF Severity Categories at Discharge (0, 1-3, 4-6, 7-8, 9-10) | At discharge (last in-hospital assessment; up to 30 days after admission) | Distribution of discharge CRF scores categorized as 0, 1-3, 4-6, 7-8, and 9-10 on the Taiwan Society of Cancer Palliative Medicine fatigue scale. |
Countries
Taiwan
Outcome results
None listed