INTEGRATED ANALYSIS
There was concordance of findings between quantitative and
qualitative measures on timing and distress dimensions of the
theory of unpleasant symptoms. Table 6 summarizes the integrated
analysis.
Participants with the highest FSI-Interference Scale scores
tended to report themost difficultywith fatigue during qualitative
interviews, with one exception: An 81-year-old man categorized
as having low fatigue interference reported high
fatigue during the interview. On the day of his interview, he
reported he was “feeling pretty good” but described how
bad he felt on his high fatigue days. It is possible that, when
he completed the FSI, he was having a good day and did not
answer the questions based on how he felt at any time other
than the present.
Although participants during the qualitative interviews did
not always acknowledge fatigue, they reported a general
slowing, an increased frequency of breaks, and an overall tailoring
of their lifestyle to avoid fatigue. All interviewed participants
who reported lowfatigue interference (n = 5) reported needing
additional breaks. Neither the FSI fatigue severity score or interference
score captured this phenomenon; therefore, without
the addition of the qualitative component, important information
might have been lost. The use of a partially mixed sequential
dominant status design in which qualitative data enhance
and expand data acquired through validated quantitative tools
provided a deeper and contextualized picture of fatigue in
patients with CHD.