Acute Medicine | Palliative care | General approach to assessment of symptoms

General approach to assessment of symptoms
Session overview
Description
This session provides a general approach to the assessment of symptoms, an essential first step before a plan for symptom management and care can be started.

This session was reviewed by Sarah Hanrott and last updated in March 2024.

Learning objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• outline the core steps in the assessment of symptoms to reach a diagnosis
• recognise the range of investigations that can be used to aid diagnosis and treatment
• describe some assessment situations when it is not appropriate to undertake further investigations or initiate treatment

Being able to live as well as possible until we die is something that we all value. The needs of people of all ages who are living with death, dying and bereavement, their families, carers and communities must be addressed taking into account their priorities, preferences and wishes. Personalised care in the last year(s) and months of life will result in a better experience tailored around what really matters to the person and more sustainable health care services [1](read details regarding the reference)

In order to improve or alleviate a patient's symptoms in end-of- life care, it is essential to first make an accurate assessment of each symptom. This includes ascertaining what the symptom is, where it is, what its cause may be and what makes the symptom better or worse.

This session explains the core steps used in the assessment of symptoms, including history taking, examination and the range of investigations that may be used to confirm a diagnosis. Finally, in end-of-life care patients, it is very important to be able to assess when there is no treatable element or the burden of further investigations and treatment outweighs the potential benefits to the patient.