Canhua Xiao on Managing IMRT-Related Fatigue

Canhua Xiao, PhD, RN, postdoctoral fellow, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, Emory University, discusses ways to manage Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)- related fatigue.

Xiao says it has been recently discovered that patients who receive IMRT experience severely high fatigue. Clinical nurses should pay attention to patients who are receiving this treatment. Xiao says many of the patients she sees are extremely tired right after IMRT treatment. Information on nutrition and exercise should be given out to these patients, since these tactics can improve energy levels. Nurses should also inform the patient and their family members about the fatigue so they can be prepared and supported.