Symptom distress profiles in hospitalized patients in Sweden—a point prevalence survey

• Context: Troublesome symptoms are the most common reason for seeking hospital care. Since many patients report multiple symptoms concurrently, symptom research needs to study symptom clusters. There are two conceptual approaches to symptom cluster research: (a) the identification of symptom clusters by investigating associations among different symptom reports; (b) the identification of subgroups of patients that reflect different symptom profiles. Symptom clusters and symptom profiles have been examined in patients with cancer. However, no studies have examined symptom profiles based on patients' self-reported symptom distress in heterogeneous groups of hospitalised patients. Objective: To examine symptom distress profiles of hospitalised patients. Method: Symptom distress data were collected at two hospitals in Sweden via point prevalence surveys using numeric rating scales (NRS) of pain, dyspnoea, fatigue, sleeping difficulties, loss of appetite, depression and anxiety. Patients were grouped according to symptom experience using two approaches: (a) classification of patients with high versus low pain and fatigue distress scores; (b) classification based on a latent class analysis of symptom profiles. Results: In the 710 patients, fatigue (76.2%) and pain (65.3%) were the most prevalent symptoms (median NRS 5 to 6). The group of patients experiencing high fatigue and pain distress were to a greater extent female, living alone and diagnosed with musculoskeletal diseases, and had a higher number of symptoms than the low pain and fatigue group. The latent class analysis revealed three latent classes that differed in ratings and symptom distress profiles. People in the low symptom distress class (LSDC) reported less distress on average than people in medium (MSDC) and high symptom distress classes (HSDC). Compared to LSDC, people in HSDC were more likely to be female and live alone. Latent class membership, reflective of different symptom distress profiles, was not substantially explained by different diagnoses. Conclusions: The majority of patients admitted to hospital experience symptom distress at a level that requires symptom management. Symptom distress is a subjective illness experience and needs to be treated as such, irrespective of diagnosis. Although symptom distress was analysed with two different approaches, the most distressed patients were women who were living alone.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Hälsovetenskap -- Omvårdnad (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Health Sciences -- Nursing (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

kon (subject category)