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The following is a summary of “Physicians’ experiences of assessing and supporting fatigued patients in primary care: a focus group study,” published in the June 2025 issue of BMC Primary Care by Samuelsson et al. 

Fatigue, affecting 10–30% of individuals in primary care, and a severely debilitating symptom associated with increased healthcare use, work disability, and mortality commonly occurred across respiratory, cardiovascular, endocrine, gastrointestinal, hematologic, infectious, neurologic, and musculoskeletal diseases, as well as cancer.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to explore how physicians in Swedish primary care managed individuals with fatigue to support the development of evidence-based care procedures.  

They carried out 6 semi-structured focus group interviews with 39 primary care physicians from 3 centers in Stockholm. Data were collected to capture physicians’ perspectives and were examined using thematic analysis (TA).  

The results showed that the analysis revealed the overarching theme of “Frustration in the role as physician,” which comprised 2 main themes. The first theme, “Time pressure and an empty toolbox,” reflected limited time, lack of standardized assessment protocols, and lack of effective treatment strategies. The second theme, “Challenges in the patient-physician relationship,” defined role conflict, difficulties with sick leave decisions, and the need to achieve shared understanding with individuals receiving care.  

Investigators concluded that physicians experienced frustration and lack of resources when addressing fatigue, highlighting the need for evidence-based tools in primary care. 

Source: bmcprimcare.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-025-02891-1