Background: Increased cancer survivorship means more people are living with cancer-related fatigue (CRF). CRF is reported as the most distressing symptom survivors experience and is associated with occupational performance limitations, restricted participation in meaningful life roles and reduced quality of life (QOL).
Objectives: This systematic review aims to identify and evaluate randomised control trials (RCTs) for non-pharmacological CRF interventions that measure outcomes related to occupational performance and participation.
Methods: This study is currently in progress. Eight databases were searched (Medline, CINAHL, PsychINFO, EMBASE, Scopus, OT Seeker, CENTRAL, Cochrane SR database), including years 1998-2018 and limited to studies published in English. Eligibility criteria include: RCTs of non-pharmacological CRF interventions in adult cancer survivors (all cancer types and treatment stages) with fatigue measured as a primary outcome and occupational performance, participation or related measured as a primary or secondary outcome.
Emerging results: The search strategy identified 5762 records (excluding duplicates), of which 54 studies (1%) met the eligibility criteria. A total of 32 studies (59%) identified QOL, participation or related functional activity as a primary outcome and 22 studies (41%) included these as a secondary outcome. Self-report QOL instruments were used in 47 studies (87%), however, results were inconsistently reported.
Discussion: Data extraction will reveal the characteristics of the selected studies and will provide guidance for practitioners on the impact of interventions on occupational performance, participation and quality of life, and will allow a critique of the choice of outcomes for intervention studies and how these are assessed. Evaluation of the quality of selected studies will also identify best practice in researching interventions for fatigue that can improve occupational performance and participation for cancer survivors. Consideration of the sensitivity and precision of QOL instruments to measure occupational performance and participation should be incorporated into future CRF research designs.