Cited by 37Palliative Care and End-of-Life IssuesPalliative and Oncologic CareCancer survivorship and care

Psycho-Existential Symptom Assessment Scale (PeSAS) Screening in Palliative Care

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Kissane, David W., Appleton, Jane, Lennon, Jonathon, Michael, Natasha, Chye, Richard, King, Tania, William, Leeroy, Poon, Peter +3 more·2022·Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

Abstract

CONTEXT: Psycho-existential symptoms are common yet often missed or neglected in palliative care. Screening can be an effective way to recognize and respond to this need. OBJECTIVES: We aimed to implement routine use of the Psycho-existential Symptom Assessment Scale (PeSAS) as a screening tool in Australian palliative care services and discern the symptom prevalence identified. METHODS: In a multi-site rolling design, we established implementation site committees and embarked on experiential workshops to train clinicians in the tool's efficient use. Patient symptom prevalence data were collected to compare uptake across sites. Descriptive statistics were applied. RESULTS: Over one year, we trained 216 clinicians across six palliative care services in the use of the PeSAS as a screening tool and collected data from 1405 patients. Clinicians reported significant growth in their sense of efficacy in assessing psycho-existential wellness. Services using electronic records implemented most easily. Psycho-existential symptoms with clinically significant prevalence (scores ≥ 4/10) included anxiety 41.1%, discouragement 37.6%, hopelessness 35.8%, pointlessness 26.9%, depression 30.3%, and the wish to die 17%. The precision of measurement within 3% was found for severe ratings (score ≥ 8/10) including anxiety 10.6%, depression 10.2%, the wish to die 7.6%, and confusion 3.6%. CONCLUSION: Clinicians can be trained to screen with the Psycho-existential Symptom Assessment Scale, which serves as a valuable measure to better recognize symptoms of psycho-existential distress among palliative care patients. Implementation barriers included the prior ethos of the service, confidence in talking about these themes, electronic data entry, and perceived time pressures.

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Crossref · 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2022.08.002

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Authors
Kissane, D. W., Appleton, J., Lennon, J., Michael, N., Chye, R., King, T., William, L., Poon, P., Kanathigoda, S., Needham, K., & Bobevski, I.
Affiliations
  • St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne (AU)
  • St Vincent's Hospital Sydney (AU)
  • Cabrini Hospital (AU)
  • Eastern Health (AU)
  • Monash Health (AU)
Corresponding author
Kissane, David W.
Venue
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2022-11
Volume
64
Issue
5
Pages
429-437
ISSN
0885-3924 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W4290791693
Cited by
37
References
38
Citations by year
2026: 8 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 1
FWCI
6.40
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Journal of Pain and Symptom Management (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • ResearchOnline@ND (The University of Notre Dame) (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Palliative and Oncologic Care
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Oncology › Cancer survivorship and care
Keywords
palliative care, symptom screening, anxiety, depression, hopelessness, desire for death, symptom prevalence, clinician training, implementation barriers, electronic health records
MeSH terms
Australia, Humans, Neoplasms, Palliative Care, Stress, Psychological, Symptom Assessment

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