The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)

The ESAS helps patients in palliative care rate symptoms like pain and nausea. It allows care teams to track changes in comfort and adjust plans to better support daily needs.

Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) clinical PDF form for assessing symptom severity
ESAS

Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)

Designed for palliative care, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) helps clinicians track symptom intensity. Patients rate nine common issues, such as pain and nausea, on a simple 0-10 scale. It's a practical way to monitor wellbeing and adjust care plans, ensuring patients get the right support.

Category

Physical health
Mental health
Wellbeing
Monitoring

Disease

Assessment
Clinical Care
Quality of Life

Source

(Bruera et al., 1991)

Author Name

Bruera, E., et al. (1991)

Page Editor

Thijs Sondag

What is Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS)

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is a trusted tool for tracking symptoms in palliative care. It helps teams monitor patient distress. This valid instrument focuses on nine common physical and emotional symptoms experienced by oncology patients. It gives a clear snapshot of how a person feels at a specific moment. Patients rate issues like pain, tiredness, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, appetite, wellbeing, and shortness of breath. They use a simple zero to ten scale where zero means no symptom and ten represents the worst possible severity. Clinicians can use the survey daily to spot trends over time. It is straightforward to use and allows for self-reporting or completion by a caregiver if needed. This practical approach supports better symptom management and improves quality of life for patients in advanced care settings.

ESAS Scoring

The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System can be scored using two main approaches: individual item scores and a total sum.1. Individual Item Scores: Patients rate nine symptoms like pain or nausea on a 0 to 10 scale. Here, 0 means the symptom is absent and 10 means it is the worst possible. Clinicians use these numbers to spot specific problems needing help.2. Total Symptom Distress Score: You simply add up the scores for all nine symptoms to get a total between 0 and 90. A higher number shows the patient is in more distress. This helps teams see the overall burden quickly.

View scoring form

Advantages

Health monitoring

Tracks patient condition changes systematically.

Clear communication

Promotes active participation in healthcare assessment.

User-friendly

Simple to understand and complete for patients.

Treatment planning

Develops personalised strategies based on assessment data.

5
Minutes
20
Questions

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