Symptoms and functional status of palliative care patients in Iceland.

Background: Palliative care patients experience many debilitating symptoms and functional loss, but few longitudinal studies on the subject are available.

Aims: To assess the symptoms and functional status of patients admitted to specialised palliative care, to investigate whether changes occur over the admission period, and to establish whether symptoms and physical and cognitive function differ, based on the service setting. In addition, to participate in the development of the interRAI Palliative Care instrument (interRAI PC).