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Palliative Care Clinical Resources
Palliative Care Integration Project (PCIP) Symptom Assessment Tools
- Palliative Performance Scale (PPSv2)
- Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)
- Pain as the 5th Vital Sign & the Facial Grimace Scale
- Oxygen Cost Diagram
- Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk
Palliative Performance Scale (PPSv2)
The Palliative Performance Scale (PPSv2) provides a framework for measuring progressive decline over the course of a patient's illness.
Developed by the Victoria Hospice Society of Victoria, British Columbia, the Palliative Performance Scale (PPSv2) serves as a care team communication tool, workload measurement tool and helps to guide selection of an appropriate Collaborative Care Plan for patients.
- How to Use the Palliative Performance Scale (PPSv2) - Click here
- Palliative Performance Scale (PPSv2) - Click here
Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)
The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) provides a clinical profile of palliative symptom severity over time.
Developed by the Regional Palliative Care Program of Edmonton, Alberta, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) helps assess the nine common symptoms experienced by cancer patients:
- pain
- tiredness
- nausea
- depression
- anxiety
- drowsiness
- appetite
- well being
- shortness of breath
- How to Use the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System - Click here
- Edmonton Symptom Assessment System Scale - Click here
Pain as the 5th Vital Sign & the Facial Grimace Scale
Pain as the 5th Vital Sign provides patients with ways to describe their pain to health professionals. The Facial Grimace Scale assesses pain in aldults who are cognitively impaired and unable to communicate using other assessment tools.
Pain as the 5th Vital Sign was adapted from Rosemary Wilson, APN - Acute Pain Service, Kingston General Hospital, while the Facial Grimace Scale was developed by the Grey Bruce Palliaitive Care/Hospice Association.
- About Pain as the 5th Vital Sign - Click here
- Visual Analogue Scale - Page 1 - Click here
- Visual Analogue Scale - Page 2 - Click here
- Facial Grimace Scale - Click here
Oxygen Cost Diagram
The Oxygen Cost Diagram assesses the severity of dyspnea by identifying the limits of a patient's physical activities resulting from shortness of breath.
Developed by C.R. McGavin, M. Artvinli, H Naoe, G. McHardy (1978), the Oxygen Cost Diagram is ideally completed by the elderly person themselves and should be done at the same time as the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS).
- Oxygen Cost Diagram - Click here
Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk
The Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk identifies and measures factors that may cause a patient to develop pressure sores (decubiti).
Developed by B. Braden (1988), the Braden Scale for Predicting Pressure Sore Risk is calculated by a nurse by evaluating the patient's following risk factors for developing pressure sores:
- sensory perception
- exposure to moisture
- activity level
- mobility level
- nutritional status
- exposure to friction and shear
- Background about the Braden Scale - Click here
- Official copy of the Braden Scale (PDF) - Click here