Related Experiment Videos
Palliative care nurses' perceptions of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale: a pilot survey
Sharon Watanabe1, Sandra McKinnon, Karen Macmillan
1Division of Palliative Medicine, University of Albera, and Tertiary Palliative Care Unit, Grey Nuns Community Hospital, Edmonton. sharonwa@cancerboard.ab.ca
Aim:
to evaluate, at a pilot level, palliative care nurses' perceptions of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale's (ESAS's) feasibility and usefulness.
Methods:
all nurses working within the Edmonton Palliative Care Programme were provided with a one-page document containing five statements about the benefits and feasibility of the ESAS, and invited to rate each statement on a five-point Likert scale (1=strongly agree; 5=strongly disagree).
Results:
of the 74 nursing staff employed in the programme, 48 (64.9%) chose to participate in this study. Perceptions of the ESAS were most favourable among the 22 registered nurses: 21 (95.4%) believed the ESAS helped staff care for patients; and 17 (77.3%) believed patients benefited from implementation of the instrument. Most registered nurses found that the ESAS took little time and effort to complete. Licensed practical nurses and nursing attendants had a less favourable perception of the ESAS.
Conclusion:
the results of this pilot study demonstrate that palliative care nurses' perceptions of the ESAS are favourable generally, although they vary according to level of professional training. A full-scale study will be necessary to attain a more in-depth evaluation.
