A feasibility study of systematic symptom assessment in palliative care using the PERS2ON score

Abstract PURPOSE A comprehensive and standardized assessment of symptoms is fundamental for individualized palliative care (PC). Numerous scoring systems are available, but they are often cumbersome and hence unsuitable for routine use. The PERS2ON score has been developed to provide a short, and feasible score to evaluate symptom burden. We performed an external evaluation of the feasibility of this score in a rural hospital. METHODS Patients admitted to the palliative care unit (PCU) of a rural hospital were rated according to the seven criteria of the PERS2ON score, pain, eating, rehabilitation, social situation, O 2 and nausea/emesis, on a scale ranging from 0 to 10, with higher scores indicating greater symptom load. The assessments were performed on admission, seven days after admission, and on the day of discharge. We calculated symptom intensity scores and evaluated the change over time for each patient. RESULTS 40 patients met inclusion criteria, nine died, a re-assessment after seven days was therefore possible for 35 patients, and an assessment at discharge for 31 patients. The mean PERS2ON Score declined from 28 (SD 12) on admission to 21 (SD 11) after seven days (absolute difference 7, 95% CI: 3–11, p = 0.002) and further to 17 (SD 10) at discharge (absolute difference 11, 95% CI: 6–15, p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Assessment of the PERS2ON score was feasible in all patients during their stay. The implementation of the PERS2ON score might be useful to direct clinical practice and targeted symptom management even at smaller PCUs.