Examination oof relationship between hope and fatigue levelsi̇n cancer patients

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between hope and fatigue in patients with cancer. It is assumed that, after conducting this study and finding out a relationship between fatigue and hope in cancer patients, it might be possible for the patients to continue their treatments with a higher life quality and health workers can make highest contributions to this process. Methods: The study was planned as a descriptive one on 210 patients treated at the outpatient oncology clinics at the Atatürk Education and Research Hospital to investigate the relationship between fatigue characteristics and hope levels. Data was collected via the Herth Hope Index (HHI), the Brief Fatique Inventory, and socio-demographic data collection form. Data analysis was done using the SPSS program as descriptive statistics for demographic data. Differences between groups with regard to age, educational status, sex, marital status, work status, cancer type, time passed after diagnosis, and mean fatigue scores was analyzed using the ANOVA test, whereas the relationship between mean fatigue scores and hope was evaluated with the Pearson correlation analysis. Results: General hope levels of the patients in the domains of "inner sense of temporality and future", "inner positive readiness and expectancy", and "interconnectedness with self and others" were 88.56±12.13; 91.19±10.56, and 96.56±5.69 respectively. There was a statistically significant relationship between the hope subdomain scores and age, sex, educational status, and working status (p<0.05). Conclusion: We consider that preserving a certain level of hope, which is supportive for the prognosis and planning appropriate nursing approaches depending on the variables effecting hope and fatigue, and giving more emphasis on the relationship of hope and fatigue is important. Key Words: Cancer, Hope, Fatigue