Year: 2012
Type: article
Study design: Systematic Review
Abstract: The ESAS is a brief and clinically useful bedside tool for self-reporting symptom intensity by advanced cancer and palliative care patients.\n\nThe purpose of this review was to get validity evidence on how the ESAS has been used as a symptom assessment tool for advanced cancer and palliative care patients. Therefore\nbearing this in mind, we guided our review towards finding out what the ESAS is, how the current literature review describes it and how it has been used in recent years in hospitals around the world.\n\nThe research question was: How has the ESAS been used as a symptom assessment tool for advanced cancer patients receiving palliative care?\n\nSystematic literature review was the method of data collection with searches based on previously published studies which included articles on the ESAS, journals and internet searches.\n\nExtracted data from the literature search was done in accordance to relevance to the research task. Qualitative analysis was used. Inductive content analysis was then used to analyze the main findings of the scientific research articles.\n\nThe ESAS has been used widely in cancer and palliative care patients in some countries around the world with a great deal of success. Information obtained revealed that: the ESAS was used and compared with validated symptom assessment tools to gather validity evidence, patients were asked to think aloud while they completed the ESAS, the ESAS has been used in elderly cancer patients in different environments and settings, the ESAS has been used to give patients/families the information needed to participate in decisions about care, patients and experts agreed that the ESAS is easy to use, the ESAS was used in collecting patient symptom\ninformation for diagnostic purposes, the ESAS was used to gather/investigate patient symptom information.\n\nHowever patient symptoms are a subjective experience and measurement cannot really be determined. Based on this review, directions for further validation research were also identified.\n\nIn cancer and palliative care patients, pain and other symptoms can be greatly alleviated if this tool is used properly. More research however is required in the field of pain assessment alleviation.\n\nKeywords: Edmonton symptom assessment scale (ESAS), terminal cancer, symptom assessment tool, palliative care, symptom assessment and validation studies.
Source: Theseus (Ammattikorkeakoulujen)
Authors: Paul Koech, Kah Ngwa
Language: English
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2603441288