Fatigue

• Perform a patient-centered history and physical exam for a patient presenting with fatigue
  • Identify clinical symptoms/red flags that suggest a secondary etiology, e.g. depression, anemia, hypothyroidism, malignancy, sleep apnea, cardiac disease.
  • Identify the social determinants of health that may suggest psychosocial concerns
• Propose a differential diagnosis based on the history and physical exam.
• Propose initial investigations based upon differential diagnosis, while avoiding over-investigation.
• Develop a management plan based upon the clinical scenario and results of initial investigations which may include “watchful waiting”

Articles

Fatigue

Miller M, Clarkson B. Fatigue One-Page Primer. DFCM Open. 2013. Available at: http://dfcmopen.com. Attribution CC BY-NC-ND

Fatigue - An Overview

Rosenthal TC, Majeroni BA, Pretorius R, Malik K. Fatigue: An overview. Am Fam Physician. 2008;78(10):1173-1179.