ABSTRACT
The importance of symptoms was recognized by the convening of a National Institutes of Health symposium to discuss the target symptoms of fatigue, pain, and depression. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a brief background and describe some of the more well-known symptom assessment instruments. In one study, 10% of hospice patients were unable to use a numerical rating scale for pain. The instrument contains a body diagram, numerical rating scale ratings of pain severity, relief, and interference with function. The Memorial Pain Assessment Card has one item for the each of the dimensions of severity, mood, relief, and a set of descriptors, and has been translated into Spanish. Neuropathic pain scales have been developed where patients rate the presence and severity of pain descriptors.
