Comparison of assessment scores for fatigue between multidimensional fatigue inventory (MFI-K) and modified chalder fatigue scale (mKCFQ)

Background Because of the absence of biological parameters for fatigue, appropriate instruments for assessing the degree of fatigue are important in the diagnosis and management of people complaining of fatigue-like symptoms. This study statistically analyzed the fatigue scores from two typical questionnaire-based instruments: the Korean version of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI-K) and the modified Chalder Fatigue Scale (mKCFQ). Methods Seventy participants (males n = 40, females n = 30, median age 48 years old, range of 25–67) were grouped into three groups (‘mild’ = 20, ‘moderate’ = 42, and ‘severe’ = 8) according to self-reported fatigue levels using a 7-point Likert scale. The similarities and differences between two instrument-derived scores were analyzed using correlations (r) and multidimensional scaling (MDS). Results The total scores of the two assessments were significantly correlated (r = 75%, p < 0.001), as were the subscores (‘Total Physical fatigue’: r = 76%, p < 0.001, ‘Total Mental fatigue’: r = 56%, p < 0.001). Relative overestimation of the MFI-K (45.8 ± 11.3) compared to the mKCFQ (36.1 ± 16.2) was observed, which was especially prominent in the ‘mild’ group. The scores of the three groups were more easily distinguished by the mKCFQ than by the MFI-K. In terms of the five dimension scores, we found a higher correlation of the two assessments for ‘general fatigue’ (r = 79%, p < 0.001) and ‘physical fatigue’ (r = 66%, p < 0.001) than for the reductions in ‘motivation’ (r = 41%, p < 0.01) and ‘activity’ (r = 26%, p > 0.05). Conclusions Our results may indicate the usefulness of the two instruments, especially for the physical symptoms of fatigue (‘general’ and ‘physical’ fatigue). Furthermore, the MFI-K may be useful for conditions of moderate-to-severe fatigue, such as chronic fatigue syndrome, but the mKCFQ may be useful for all spectra of fatigue, including in subhealthy people.

Research on rescuers’ training process in toxic / explosive / flammable environments

The paper presents the structuring of physical effort put in by rescuers during training, taking into account the activity specific psychosocial factors, structuring that aimed at streamlining the training process of intervention and rescue personnel in toxic / explosive / flammable environments. Training routes with various degrees of difficulty, allowing the simulation of intervention activities in horizontally and vertically confined spaces, low visibility, high temperature and humidity environments were analysed, for each the specific labour consumption being calculated. A dysfunctional phenomenon caused by the intervention and rescue activity is fatigue, perceived as a body reaction to readjust and restore its functions following intense or repeated body requests for energy consumption. Not only physical fatigue (which can be controlled through exercises) is specific for rescue and intervention activity but also mental fatigue. In addition to physical and technical training, psychosocial training of people who carry out intervention and rescue activities was followed in the training programs.

Physical parameters of neutrality in the work of an osteopathic physician

An osteopathic practitioner often meets the problem of physical fatigue, which is caused by a forced posture, excessive tension of the muscles of the trunk and arms, irrational biomechanical patterns of posture and movements, lack of support points, or switching points of mechanical energy of movement (fulcrum). These factors lead together to fatigue, which is felt as weariness and prevents the development of a pathophysiological state of overwork. Prevention of overwork by an osteopathic doctor can consist of a number of measures of labor organization and ergonomics, one of which is building a state of physical neutrality — a spatial position of the body that allows working with the patient as efficiently as possible and minimizing fatigue.

Effectiveness of Body Mechanics Training (BMT) on the Management of Low Back Pain, Functional Disability and Physical Fatigue among Women Working in Health Profession: A Study Protocol

Background: The most prevalent musculoskeletal problem among healthcare workers is low back pain (LBP). It's a type of pain between the costal margins and the inferior gluteal folds, and a painful restriction of movement frequently accompanies it. In high-risk health care professionals such as nurses, the prevalence of LBP is higher (64.07%). Clients with chronic LBP had a high level of functional impairment and weariness. Objectives: 1.To evaluate the effectiveness of Body Mechanics Training (BMT) on managing low back pain, functional disability, and physical fatigue among women working in the health profession on the 7th day and at the first, third, and sixth-month interval. 2.To identify the inter-relationship between LBP, functional disability, and physical fatigue. Study Design: It is a two-arm trial, interventional hospital-based Study. Place and Duration of The Study: This Study will be conducted in selected hospitals of Wardha district, Maharashtra, India. The duration of the Study will be six months. Methodology: The participants will be 330 women in the nursing profession with nonspecific chronic LBP aged 21 to 50. With purposive sampling technique, participants will be allocated to 1 of 2 treatment groups: 1) Experimental Group will receive BMT including McKenzie and Yoga exercises, through a licensed physiotherapist and certified yoga trainer. 2) Control Group will receive written instructions regarding body mechanics in a booklet form and follow exercises at home. The experimental group will receive 24 sessions of 60 minutes (6 sessions per week over the first four weeks or a month) and then a supervised session once a week for the next five months. The outcome will be obtained during intervention on the 7th day and after completion at 1, 3, and 6 months. After therapy, the primary outcome will be pain intensity as determined by the Numeric Pain Rating Scale (NPRS). The secondary outcome, i.e. pain intensity, functional disability (measured with Modified Oswestry LBP Disability Questionnaire), and physical fatigue (measured with Chalder Fatigue Scale), will be measured after treatment. Expected Results: LBP, functional disability, and physical fatigue will be reduced. Limitations: Only Nursing personnel will be included in this Study. Conclusion: This Study's results will contribute to developing BM Training Program for Nursing personnel to manage work-related nonspecific LBP.

The Environmental Factors Associated With Fatigue of Frontline Nurses in the Infection Disease Nursing Unit

The workload in the Infection Disease Nursing Unit (IDNU) is increasing dramatically due to COVID-19, and leads to the prevalence of fatigue among the frontline nurses, threatening their health, and safety. The built environment and design could fundamentally affect the fatigue of nurses for a long-term perspective. This article aims to extract the environmental factors of IDNU and explore nurses' perceptions of these factors on the work-related fatigue. It would produce evidences for mitigating the fatigue by environmental interferons. A cross-sectional design was employed by combination of focus group interview and written survey. Environmental factors of IDNU were collected from healthcare design experts (n = 8). Nurses (n = 64) with frontline COVID-19 experiences in IDNU were recruited to assess these factors individually. Four environmental factors were identified as: Nursing Distance (ND), Spatial Crowdness (SC), Natural Ventilation, and Light (NVL), and Spatial Privacy (SP). Among them, ND was considered as the most influential factor on the physical fatigue, while SP was on the psychological fatigue. Generally, these environmental factors were found to be more influential on the physical fatigue than the psychological fatigue. Technical titles were found to be associated with the nurses' perceptions of fatigue by these environmental factors. Nurse assistant and practical nurse were more likely to suffer from the physical fatigue by these factors than senior nurse. The result indicated that environmental factors of IDNU were associated with the nurses' fatigue, particularly on the physical aspect. Environmental interventions of design could be adopted to alleviate the fatigue by these factors such as reducing the ND and improving the spatial privacy. The accurate interventional measures should be applied to fit nurses' conditions due to their technical titles. More attention should be given to the low-ranking nurses, who account for the majority and are much vulnerable to the physical fatigue by environmental factors.

Prevention of the psychoemotional burnout of academics during their professional activities

The article shows that psychoemotional burnout is one of the most common syndromes, developing against the backdrop of continuous exposure to stressful situations, and it leads to intellectual, mental, and physical fatigue and exhaustion. The pedagogical activities of academics lead to burnout syndrome among most professionals of this occupation. The aim of the article is theoretical substantiation of the concept of burnout syndrome, experimental study of its symptoms characteristic of academics, and presentation of recommendations for its prevention. The study involved 59 academics of different ages and records of work. The analysis of literature sources allows stating that the study of the burnout syndrome among academics requires a further search for solutions. The academic profession is one of those for which burnout syndrome is the most common because the professional activity of academics is recognized as one of the most emotionally stressful. It was found that burnout is exhaustion, which manifests itself in emotional devastation and fatigue, and depersonalization, in particular, depersonalization of relationships with people. It is established that most teachers are characterized by inadequate emotional response, reduced interaction with colleagues, termination of professional responsibilities, the desire to stay alone, intensified emotional thriftiness. A pronounced feature for teachers is the reduction of personal achievements when they negatively assess themselves, their professional achievements and success, express professional integrity in a negative way, and limit their opportunities and responsibilities.

Correlation between Individual Characteristics and Work Position with Work Fatigue on Workers

Introduction: Work fatigue is a condition of decreased efficiency and resilience of workers, which can interfere the companys’ productivity. Job fatigue can be caused by the performance, duration, and effort (work position) of the workers. Based on the observations, workers at the expedition sub units of PT X needed to lift 200 to 400kg heavy loads. The activity of lifting very heavy weights can cause fatigue. One form of physical fatigue indicators is an increase in lactic acid in the blood. The purpose of this study was to analyze the correlation between workers’ characteristics and work position with work fatigue among workers in the expedition sub units of PT X. Methods: This research was a quantitative study with a cross sectional design. The population of this study was 36 people. This research used total sampling. The independent variable were individual characteristics and work position as measured using REBA tools, and the dependent variable was work fatigue as measured using lactic acid levels in blood. Data was analyzed using statistical tools to obtain the value of correlation coefficient between variables. Result: The results showed that there was a weak positive correlation between workers’ characteristics and physical fatigue. The results showed that the coefficient value between work position and physical fatigue was 0.354. The coefficient figure indicated a weak positive correlation between work position and work fatigue. Conclusion: There was a correlation between work position and work fatigue in workers.Keywords: ergonomics, lactic acid, REBA, work fatigue, work position .

A Botanical Product Containing Cistanche and Ginkgo Extracts Potentially Improves Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Symptoms in Adults: A Randomized, Double-Blind, and Placebo-Controlled Study

Dietary therapy may be beneficial in alleviating symptoms of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), a disorder that is characterized by extreme fatigue and other symptoms, but the cause of which remains unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the protective effect of a botanical product containing cistanche (Cistanche tubulosa [Schenk] Wight) and ginkgo (Ginkgo biloba L.) extracts on adults with CFS in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial. A total of 190 subjects (35–60 years old, non-obese) with CFS were randomized to receive one tablet of a low dose (120-mg ginkgo and 300-mg cistanche), a high dose (180-mg ginkgo and 450-mg cistanche) or a placebo once daily for 60 days. Blood samples and responses on the Chalder fatigue scale (CFQ 11), the World Health Organization's quality of life questionnaire (WHOQOL), and the sexual life quality questionnaire (SLQQ) were collected at baseline and post-intervention. CFS symptoms of impaired memory or concentration, physical fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, and post-exertional malaise were significantly improved (p &lt; 0.001) in both of the treatment groups. The botanical intervention significantly decreased physical and mental fatigue scores of CFQ 11 and improved WHOQOL and SLQQ scores of the subjects (p &lt; 0.01). Levels of blood ammonia and lactic acid in the treatment groups were significantly lower than those of the placebo group (low-dose: p &lt; 0.05; high-dose: p &lt; 0.01). In addition, the change in lactic acid concentration was negatively associated with the severity of CFS symptoms (p = 0.0108) and was correlated with the change in total physical fatigue score of the CFQ (p = 0.0302). Considering the trivial effect size, the results may lack clinical significance. In conclusion, this botanical product showed promising effects in ameliorating the symptoms of CFS. Clinical trials with improved assessment tools, an expanded sample size, and an extended follow-up period are warranted to further validate the findings.Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/, identifier: NCT02807649.

Relationship of Problematic Smartphone Use, Sleep Quality, and Daytime Fatigue Among Quarantined Medical Students During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic brought about great transformation to medical education mode. Although mobile communication devices played a crucial role in online learning among quarantined university students, the potential smartphone addition problems, negative health behaviors, and psychological symptoms need considerable attention. This study examined the relationship of problematic smartphone use (PSU), sleep quality, and daytime fatigue among medical students.Methods: A web-based survey was conducted in six polyclinic hospitals in Beijing between February and May 2020. 1016 participants (26.01 ± 2.46 years, 65.16% female) completed self-report measurements including Short Version Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS-SV), Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS), and Subjective Fatigue Scale (FS). Spearman correlation coefficients and multiple regression models were used to analyze the association among PSU, sleep quality, and daytime fatigue. We used structural equation modeling to test the mediating effect of sleep quality between PSU and daytime fatigue.Results: 49.70% of the participants had PSU. Significant positive correlations were found among SAS-SV, AIS, and FS scores (r = 0.35–0.61, PS &lt; 0.001). Subjects with PSU were more likely to report sleep disturbance (β = 1.07, P &lt; 0.001, OR = 2.91, 95%CI = 2.17–3.91), physical fatigue (β = 1.16, P &lt; 0.001, OR = 3.18, 95%CI = 2.45–4.15), and mental fatigue (β = 0.88, P &lt; 0.001, OR = 2.42, 95%CI = 1.86–3.14). The indirect effect of PSU on physical fatigue and mental fatigue mediated by sleep quality accounted for 50.03 and 45.43% of the total effect, respectively.Conclusions: PSU was significantly associated with sleep disturbance and fatigue among medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sleep quality mediated the relationship between PSU and daytime fatigue. Our results provide valuable information for maintaining medical students' health status and constructing online education structures.