Chronic Fatigue in the Internal Medicine Outpatient Clinic: a Mixed-methods Quantitative and Qualitative Study

Launched by FLEVOZIEKENHUIS · Jan 9, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is studying chronic fatigue in patients visiting an internal medicine outpatient clinic. The researchers want to find out two main things: first, how often the medical evaluations during these visits lead to a specific physical diagnosis for patients suffering from fatigue. Second, they want to understand the experiences of patients who, after undergoing tests and consultations, still do not receive a diagnosis for their fatigue. This trial will gather information from patient records and conduct interviews to get a clearer picture of these issues.

To participate in this study, you need to be a patient at the internal medicine outpatient clinic who was referred for fatigue but did not receive a physical diagnosis. Unfortunately, if you are under 18 years old or do not speak Dutch fluently, you won’t be eligible. If you join the study, you can expect to share your experiences through an interview, which will help researchers understand your journey and improve care for future patients. The study is currently recruiting participants, and your insights could play a significant role in addressing chronic fatigue.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Cohort 1:
• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Patients under 18 years of age;
• • Patients lost to follow-up.
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Patients at the internal medicine outpatient clinic with a referral for fatigue e.c.i.
• • Patients who visited the clinic after the 1st of April 2022.
• Cohort 2:
• • Inclusion criteria
• • Patients at the internal medicine outpatient clinic with a referral for fatigue e.c.i. whose consultation did not bring about a somatic diagnosis
• Exclusion criteria:
• • Patients under 18 years of age;
• • Patients that do not speak Dutch fluently