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Symptom Burden At End Of Life In Patients With Terminal And Life-Threatening Illness In Intensive Care Units, Peggy G. Kalowes Phd, Msn, Rn, Cns

Dissertations

The purpose of this study was to examine the symptom burden and severity of symptom distress reported by ICU patients at high-risk for death and to compare patient-rated symptoms and distress for concordance with symptoms reported by a family member. A prospective, correlational design with two data-points was used to study a convenience sample of 80 patients and 53 family members. The Condensed Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (CMSAS) was used to gain patient/proxy report of symptoms on the first and third day after admission to the ICU. The majority of patients were symptomatic (98%), reporting an average of 10.23 symptoms. …