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[Distress symptoms in hospice patients]
H Henriksen1, J Riis, B Christophersen
1Sankt Lukas Stiftelsens Hospice, Hellerup.
Ugeskrift for Laeger
|January 7, 1998
Summary
In terminal patients, fatigue was the most common symptom, affecting over 60% of patients daily. Key symptoms like pain and dyspnea did not worsen in the final week of life.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Symptom Management
- Oncology
Context:
- Terminal and dying patients experience significant physical and mental distress.
- A Danish hospice setting was used for this prospective study.
- The study included 117 patients, with 96% having a cancer diagnosis.
Purpose:
- To assess daily the severity of all symptoms causing distress in terminal patients.
- To identify the most frequent symptoms and their prevalence.
- To analyze symptom changes in the final week of life.
Summary:
- Fatigue was the most prevalent symptom, recorded on 60.9% of admission days.
- Other frequent symptoms included pain (27.3%), dyspnoea (19.2%), and nausea/vomiting (8.5%).
- Pain, dyspnoea, nausea/vomiting, thirst, and anxiety did not increase in the last seven days of life. Unconsciousness occurred in 23% within 24 hours of death.
Impact:
- Provides crucial data for optimizing palliative care and symptom management strategies.
- Highlights the high prevalence of fatigue in terminally ill patients.
- Informs clinical practice regarding symptom assessment and intervention in end-of-life care.