Symptom Expression in the Last Seven Days of Life Among Cancer Patients Admitted to Acute Palliative Care

Abstract

Introduction: The study was to analyse the symptom burden and characteristics of advanced cancer patients who died in the acute palliative care unit. Based on the determined characteristics from the present study.

Methods: Evaluated all of the advanced cancer patients' medical records that were admitted to King Abdulaziz Medical City's acute palliative care unit between January 2022 and December 2022 in retrospect. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) was used to gather basic features and symptom burden from nursing professionals with palliative care training. The average severity of nine symptoms is rated on the ESAS, a validated numerical rating system, from 0 (absence) to 10 (worst possible).

Results: The data of 217 patients were collected 160 of them passed away in the palliative care unit included in the study. If the patient scored more than 4 in any day during any of the last 7 days. Pain 124 (77.4%), tiredness 155 (96.9%), drowsiness 107 (66.9%), nausea 46 (28.7%), loss of appetite 157 (96.1%), SOB 118 (73.8%), depression 119 (74.4%), anxiety 127 (79.4%), and well-being 160 (100%).

Conclusion: Patients have been found to have a high prevalence of symptoms that need intervention as they are approaching death. Drowsiness, loss of appetite, and shortness of breath have shown an increase in severity, but pain intensity hasn’t increased, although this can be explained by being admitted under PCU, where pain control can be intensely managed.