Fatigue and its related factors in patients with chronic heart failure

Aims and objectives. To understand fatigue in chronic heart failure patients and its related factors. Background. Fatigue is a common symptom in patients with chronic heart failure, but little is known about this phenomenon. Design. Correlational study. Methods. This correlational study sampled 107 chronic heart failure patients from a medical centre in northern Taiwan. Data were collected on objective outcomes (ejection fraction, EF; New York Heart Association classification, NYHA; beta‐blocker use and haemoglobin, Hb) and subjective outcomes (depression and fatigue). Since the main outcome variable, fatigue, is multidimensional, it was measured by two scales: Lee’s Fatigue Visual Analog Scale and a researcher‐developed scale, the Tang Fatigue Rating Scale. Results. Subjects experienced a medium level of fatigue. Fatigue was significantly higher (p