{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,10]],"date-time":"2026-03-10T04:47:54Z","timestamp":1773118074706,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":53,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"3","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1773014400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Nursing Reports"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Fatigue is a multidimensional and subjective experience, and it is one of the most common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS), affecting up to 80% of patients and acting as a major driver of work disability. Despite its clinical significance, existing assessment tools often lack conceptual clarity or remain too lengthy for routine clinical use. Objective: To develop and evaluate a new patient-reported outcome instrument designed to assess multidimensional fatigue domains in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) for use in clinical practice. Methods: This study was carried out in three research stages. Stage 1 (Concept Elicitation) involved qualitative interviews (n = 19) to identify core fatigue domains based on patient experience. Stage 2 (Cognitive Interviews) consisted of interviews with 50 patients to ensure the relevance and clarity of the items. Stage 3 (Exploratory Factor Analysis) and internal consistency testing (Cronbach\u2019s alpha) were performed on the same sample of 50 patients to examine the preliminary factor structure and reliability. Results: Concept elicitation identified lack of energy and persistent exhaustion as core symptoms. The resulting 14-item instrument covers three subdomains: Psychosocial, Physical, and Cognitive. Exploratory factor analysis supported a three-factor solution explaining 75% of the total variance (Factor 1: 28%; Factor 2: 27%; Factor 3: 20%). Internal consistency was high across all factors: Psychosocial (\u03b1 = 0.923), Physical (\u03b1 = 0.895), and Cognitive (\u03b1 = 0.844). Conclusions: This new instrument is a conceptually robust tool that captures the interconnected nature of fatigue in multiple sclerosis (MS). These initial findings support its internal structure and conceptual foundation, providing a practical tool for symptom monitoring in neurological consultations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/nursrep16030093","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]],"date-time":"2026-03-09T15:49:42Z","timestamp":1773071382000},"page":"93","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Development of a New Patient-Reported Outcome to Measure Fatigue in Patients with Multiple Sclerosis"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-0528-3248","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Miguel Angel","family":"Jorquera-Ruzzi","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Doctoral Program in Biomedical Research and Public Health Methodology, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-8643-5053","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Cristina","family":"Ramo Tello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Neurology, 12 de October University Hospital, 28041 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1109-9803","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Maria Jos\u00e9","family":"Dur\u00e0-Mata","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medicine, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Germans Trias I Pujol University Hospital, 08916 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Irma","family":"Casas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology and Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Autonomous University of Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona, Spain"},{"name":"Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Germans Trias I Pujol University Hospital, 08916 Barcelona, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,9]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"765","DOI":"10.1001\/jama.2020.26858","article-title":"Diagnosis and Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis: A Review","volume":"325","author":"McGinley","year":"2021","journal-title":"JAMA"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"25081","DOI":"10.31083\/JIN25081","article-title":"Exploring the Pathophysiology, Diagnosis, and Treatment Options of Multiple Sclerosis","volume":"24","author":"Lorenzut","year":"2025","journal-title":"J. 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