Nursing interventions to manage fatigue in children with cancer: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a persistent, subjective sense of tiredness related to cancer or cancer treatment that
interferes with usual functioning. Recently it is increasingly recognized as an important symptom in children and
adolescents with cancer with serious effects on physical, cognitive and psychosocial functions and therefore on the
overall quality of life (QoL).
The aim of the study was to investigate nursing interventions for the management of fatigue in children and/or
adolescents with cancer during the treatment phase.
Method: This is a systematic review of the bibliography conducted by searching articles in international bibliographic
databases (Medline, PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane Library). The criteria for the introduction of an article in the study
were: to be written in English, to be completely relevant to the subject, to sample children or adolescents with cancer,
to be published from 2017-2020, to be published in a reputable scientific journal, to be a research study, to study nonpharmacological intervention to improve CRF. After a systematic and critical review of the articles, 20 articles were
included in the study.
The results show that in recent years there has been a significant increase in studies to alleviate the symptoms of
fatigue in children and adolescents with cancer. 10 of the studies focus on promoting physical activity mainly through
aerobic exercise, but also resistance and flexibility exercises, 3 on exercise programs through digital interactive games
and 3 on interactive activities with clowns. The other 4 articles focus on the use of other methods such as yoga, the
use of cognitive and behavioral approaches such as sleep training and relaxation techniques, the use of soya beans
and game-based occupational therapy sessions.
Conclusions: CRF in children and adolescents during the treatment phase can be improved and alleviated both by
engaging in physical activity and by applying other methods, such as clown visits, soy intake and yoga.