Guidelines for treating fatigue
Fatigue is one of the biggest challenges when it comes to rheumatic disease. It is not visible, can appear without warning, and affects life profoundly. Nevertheless, there has so far been no guidance on how fatigue should be managed within healthcare. However, EULAR has now produced guidelines for this.
EULAR is a European umbrella organization for people who work in healthcare, researchers, and patient associations in the field of rheumatology. They have worked out recommendations, which should make it easier for health care to help patients who struggle with fatigue. Hopefully, these recommendations can echo also outside of Europe.
Regular assessment and tailored interventions
The recommendations state that a regular assessment of fatigue should be included in the meeting with the healthcare provider. The degree of severity, impact, and the person's strategies for managing their possible fatigue should be taken into consideration.
If the patient struggles with fatigue, the disease activity should be evaluated and it should be reviewed whether there is clinical support for changing the treatment with anti-rheumatic drugs in any way.
In case of fatigue, tailored physical activities should be offered and the patient encouraged to be physically active in the long term. The patient should also get access to tailored information and educational efforts to explore thoughts, feelings and behavior around their fatigue.
Have your say as a patient
EULAR also states that healthcare professionals should be aware of how complex fatigue can be; that it involves several biological, psychological, and social factors that interact when fatigue occurs.
Furthermore, they emphasize that the patient and the healthcare staff should agree together on how fatigue should be handled and treated in the individual case.
An acknowledgment
What these guidelines will mean for people with fatigue in the future remains to be seen. They must, however, be said to be an acknowledgment of something that was previously often met with a bit of a diffuse response. And there's nothing to stop you from telling your doctor that you know about these new recommendations—maybe they can be the starting point for a good conversation.