Reliability, validity, and clinical use of the newly developed Research and Clinical Assessment Tool-Fatigue (ReACT-F)

Background

Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) remains one of the most common and debilitating symptoms reported by individuals with cancer. Successful management of CRF has been substantially hindered by the lack of efficient and comprehensive tools to assess its multidimensional nature in clinical settings. The Research and Clinical Assessment Tool-Fatigue (ReACT-F) was created to address this need. The purpose of the current study was to document the reliability, validity, and clinical use of our newly developed ReACT-F questionnaire for use in oncology clinical settings.

Methods

Adults receiving treatment for cancer were enrolled between February 2019 and August 2022. Two study visits were conducted, during which participants completed three self-report CRF questionnaires (MFSI-SF, MFI-20, and the ReACT-F). Reliability and validity were examined. The clinical use of the ReACT-F questionnaire was evaluated by clinicians using a Likert scale.

Results

The ReACT-F demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (.92 reliability coefficient) and test-retest (r = .60 −.67, p < .001) reliability. The ReACT-F demonstrated acceptable validity when compared with the two well established and validated measures, with all correlations significant (p < .001) and nearly all were at least moderate (r > .50). In terms of clinical use, all clinicians rated the ReACT-F as valuable for assessment of CRF, and nearly all would use the tool in practice.

Conclusions

The ReACT-F is both a reliable and valid tool for assessment of multidimensional CRF in adults receiving cancer-related treatment. Data from the ReACT-F questionnaire may guide clinicians to focused assessments and effective personalized management strategies targeting specific fatigue dimensions.