Sorrow, Fatigue and Burnout Featured In Current Edition of The Oncologist

MIAMISBURG, Ohio-The Oncologist, the bimonthly international peer-reviewed journal for physicians devoted to cancer patient care, discusses critical quality-of-life issues affecting both patients and physicians with articles on sorrow, fatigue and burnout in its newly released issue (Vol. 5, No. 5, 2000).

About Sorrow
In an editorial, "About Sorrow," The Oncologist's editor-in-chief Dr. Bruce A. Chabner, of Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses how physicians often "fail to understand and anticipate the implications of loss, and the resulting sorrow that inevitably accompany tragic events. Sorrow seems to be the common denominator," he writes, concluding, "as cancer specialists, we see this sorrow in our patients every day, but often forget to break through its surface… It demands our time, our understanding and our compassion. Assume it is there, because it is often a significant part of the 'medical' problem."

Cancer-Related Fatigue
In another article, patient fatigue is discussed in "Impact of Cancer-Related Fatigue on the Lives of Patients: New Findings From the Fatigue Coalition," by NCI's Dr. Gregory A. Curt and colleagues, and in an accompanying commentary, "Cancer-Related Fatigue: An Immense Problem," by Dr. Russell K. Portenoy, of New York's Beth Israel Medical Center. Dr. Portenoy laments that, "fatigue is seldom discussed by physicians and patients, and specific therapeutic approaches are seldom offered."

In a survey of 379 cancer patients who had received chemotherapy, the Fatigue Coalition found that 76 percent of the patients experienced fatigue a few days each month and 30 percent experienced fatigue on a daily basis. Ninety-one percent of those experiencing fatigue said it prevented a "normal" life; 88 percent indicated the fatigue caused a change in their daily routine; and 65 percent noted their condition resulted in their home caregivers (e.g., a spouse) having to take off at least one day a month from work, with 12 percent reporting their primary caregiver having to take unpaid leave or stop working completely. In addition, of the 177 patients who were working, three-quarters reported changing their employment because of fatigue and more than 20 percent either stopped working or went on disability.

Physician Burnout
"Burnout: Caring for the Caregivers" was the topic of the Schwartz Center Rounds at Massachusetts General Hospital, a monthly multidisciplinary forum where healthcare professionals reflect on important psychosocial issues faced both by patients and their families as well as their physicians and nurses.

11/1/00