June 1, 1991Journal of Palliative Care
The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS): A Simple Method for the Assessment of Palliative Care Patients
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Discussion
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Implication
Randomized trial demonstrates effectiveness of symptom assessment in palliative care patients, suggesting improved patient care tracking.
Key Points
- This research aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) in assessing symptom distress in palliative care patients.
- Conducted symptom assessments using eight visual analog scales (VAS) 0-100 mm, completed twice daily.
- Evaluated data from 101 consecutive patients during their admission to a palliative care unit.
- Collected symptom distress scores for up to 21 days, with completion by patients, nurses, or relatives.
- Mean symptom distress score decreased from 410 +/- 95 on day 1 to 362 +/- 83 on day 5 (p < 0.01).
- 84% of patients completed their own assessments at some point, but 83% were assessed by nurses or relatives before death.
- Statistical significance observed when relatives completed the assessments, with scores being higher (p < 0.01).
Cite This Study
Bruera et al. (1991) studied this question.