Purpose: To explore patient-reported symptom distress in relation to documentation of symptoms and palliative care designation in hospital inpatients.

Design: This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 710 inpatients at two large hospitals in Sweden using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale and the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale. Chart reviews focused on nurses' and physicians' symptom documentation and palliative turning point.

Methods: Descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables and provided summaries about the sample. Patients were grouped according to gender, age, palliative care designation, and symptom documentation. The t test and chi-square test were used to calculate whether symptom distress varied between groups. A two-way analysis of variance was conducted for multiple comparisons to explore the impact of gender and age on mean symptom distress.

Findings: Females reported higher levels of symptom distress than did males related to pain, fatigue, and nausea. When comparing symptom distress between males and females with documentation pertaining to symptoms, there were significant differences implying that females had to report higher levels of symptom distress than males in order to have their symptoms documented.

Conclusions: Females need to report higher levels of symptom distress than do males for healthcare professionals to identify and document their symptoms. It can be hypothesized that females are not receiving the same attention and symptom alleviation as men. If so, this highlights a serious inequality in care that requires further exploration.

Clinical Relevance: Considering that common reasons why people seek health care are troublesome symptoms of illness, and that the clinical and demographic characteristics of inpatients are changing towards more advanced ages with serious illnesses, inadequate symptom assessment and management are a serious threat to the care quality.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/jnu.12254DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

symptom distress
28
distress males
16
symptom
13
palliative care
12
care designation
12
symptom assessment
12
higher levels
12
levels symptom
12
assessment scale
8
symptom documentation
8

Similar Publications

Retrospective Analysis of the Correlation between Umbilical Blood Flow Index and Maternal and Fetal Outcomes in Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes.

Br J Hosp Med (Lond)

January 2025

Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The First Clinical Medical College of Three Gorges University, Yichang Central People's Hospital, Yichang, Hubei, China.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a common complication during pregnancy. This retrospective study investigates the correlation between umbilical blood flow index and maternal-fetal outcomes in pregnant women with GDM, aiming to contribute to evidence-based risk assessment and management strategy in this high-risk obstetric population. This retrospective study recruited 119 pregnant women with GDM who were admitted to the Yichang Central People's Hospital, between January 2022 and January 2024.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between conventional and novel Doppler parameters, including cerebroplacental ratio (CPR), cerebral-placental-uterine ratio (CPUR), umbilical-to-cerebral ratio (UCR), and amniotic-to-umbilical-cerebral ratio (AUCR), with the diagnosis of preeclampsia (PE) and adverse neonatal outcomes in PE cases. : This prospective case-control study was conducted at the Ankara Etlik City Hospital Perinatology Clinic between November 2023 and May 2024. The study population was divided into two groups: Group 1, consisting of 74 patients diagnosed with preeclampsia, and Group 2, consisting of 80 healthy control patients.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Effect of Model of Neonatal Care on Neurodevelopment at the 18 Month Follow-Up in Moderate and Late Preterm Infants.

J Clin Med

January 2025

Faculty of Nursing and Department of Community Health Sciences, Cumming School of Medicine, Alberta Health Services, University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4, Canada.

Preterm birth, even for moderate or late preterm infants (MLPIs), is associated with longer-term developmental challenges. Family Integrated Care (FICare) models of care, like Alberta FICare, aim to improve outcomes by integrating parents into neonatal care during hospitalization. This follow-up study examined the association between models of care (Alberta FICare versus standard care) and risk of child developmental delay at 18 months corrected age (CA) and explored the influences of maternal psychosocial distress.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Psoriasis is a chronic, immune-mediated skin disease significantly impacting women, with disease severity often modulated by hormonal fluctuations. This review examines the influence of hormonal changes on the course of psoriasis in women, focusing on key life stages-including the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, postpartum, and menopause-and their impact on disease progression and symptomatology. Estrogen, the principal female sex hormone, plays a critical role in immune modulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

A Critical Reappraisal of Haloperidol for Delirium Management in the Intensive Care Unit: Perspective from Psychiatry.

J Clin Med

January 2025

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA.

Delirium is a complex neuropsychiatric syndrome with multifactorial pathophysiology, encompassing a wide range of neuropsychiatric symptoms, and its management remains a significant challenge in critical care. Although often managed with antipsychotics, like haloperidol, current research has predominantly focused on dopamine dysregulation as the primary driver of delirium, overlooking its broader neuroanatomical and neurochemical underpinnings. This has led to a majority of research focusing on haloperidol as a treatment for intensive care unit (ICU) delirium.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!