Psychometric Properties of the Icelandic Version of the Revised Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS) is a symptom assessment tool commonly used in both research and clinical practice. A revised version of the tool (ESAS-r) was published in 2011.

To evaluate the psychometric properties and feasibility of the Icelandic version of ESAS-r.

The study was cross-sectional, and 359 cancer patients were screened for participation at inpatient and outpatient settings. The ESAS-r, M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI), demographic and feasibility questions were completed by 143 patients. The psychometric properties assessed for ESAS-r were internal consistency (Cronbach alpha) and concurrent validity (Pearson correlation).

Reliability analysis of the ESAS-r showed good internal consistency (Cronbach alpha = 0.85). Validity analysis showed significant moderate-to-strong correlations between seven matching symptom scores on the ESAS-r and MDASI, ranging from r = 0.64-0.86. The majority of patients rated both tools easy to understand, but on the whole, significantly more patients found ESAS-r easier to complete and preferred its use over the MDASI.

The Icelandic version of ESAS-r is a valid and reliable tool for symptom screening in Icelandic cancer patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings.