Protocol for systematic review of measurement of fatigue in people with cerebral palsy

Background: Fatigue is a common problem for people with cerebral palsy (CP), which adversely affects health-related outcomes. The emerging body of literature on fatigue in people with CP is characterised by substantial heterogeneity in assessment methods. To date, a systematic analysis of the measurement methods, and appraisal of the tools used to measure fatigue in people with CP has not been carried out. The aim of this review is to use The International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF) as a framework to categorise and appraise current methods for measuring fatigue in people with CP. Methods and Design: Literature searches will be conducted in MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, Web of Science and Cochrane databases. Studies will be included in this systematic review if they purport to measure any type of fatigue in people with CP of any age through original research, are written in English and are published in peer-reviewed literature since 1980. From included studies we will extract the assessment methods used to measure fatigue, and demographic and clinical characteristics of the sample of people with CP. We will then provide a narrative synthesis of the type and ICF domain of fatigue purportedly measured and critical appraisal of the assessment methods used. Discussion: This review will summarise current methods for measuring fatigue in people with CP. Critical appraisal and systematic categorisation of assessment methods will allow us to identify areas for further research on the domains in which fatigue occurs, and the role of fatigue in relation to clustering with other symptoms. Findings are expected to guide future assessment of fatigue in people with CP.