Reeves et al used the Piper Fatigue Scale 12 (PFS-12) to evaluate fatigue in cancer survivors. The authors are from the University of North Caroline at Chapel Hill, National Cancer Institute, Beckman Research Institute of the Cit of Hope, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, University of Louisville and University of Arizona.
The name is derived from the name of the last author and the 12 items.
Time interval: past 4 weeks
Items related to fatigue:
(1) level of interference with ability to complete work or school activities
(2) level of interference with ability to engage in activities found enjoyable
(3) intensity/severity of fatigue
(4) level of pleasant feelings associated with fatigue
(5) level of positive or negative feelings about the fatigue
(6) degree fatigue feels normal or abnormal
(7) feelings of strength
(8) how awake or sleepy
(9) how refreshed or tired
(10) how patient or impatient
(11) ability to concentrate
(12) ability to think clearly
Each item is scored on a 10 cm Likert scale.
Item
Anchor for 0 Value
Anchor for 10 Value
1
none
a great deal
2
none
a great deal
3
mild
severe
4
pleasant
unpleasant
5
positive
negative
6
normal
abnormal
7
strong
weak
8
awake
sleepy
9
refreshed
tired
10
patient
impatient
11
able to concentrate
unable to concentrate
12
able to think clearly
unable to think clearly
where:
• The degree of interference relative to range from 0 to 10: 0 none; 1 to 3 mild; 4 to 6 moderate; 7 to 10 severe, with 10 maximum or extreme.
total score =
= SUM(points for all of the items)
Interpretation:
• minimum score: 0
• maximum score: 100
• The higher the score the greater the impact of the fatigue.
• The authors also recognized 4 subscales (items 1 to 3 = behavioral; 4 to 6 = affective; 7 to 9 = sensory; 10 to 12 = cognitive).
