Development of a breathlessness assessment guide for use in palliative care.

Abstract

The complex nature of breathlessness in advanced cancer makes it a difficult symptom to understand and control. Measurement instruments applied to breathlessness have thus far failed to consider the multivariant components of this symptom. This study developed a breathlessness assessment guide for use in the clinical practice setting, that may be completed by any member of the health care team. The guide aims to encourage breathlessness to be addressed as a multidimensional problem, in which the emotional experience of breathlessness is inseparable from the sensory experience and the causative biological mechanisms. This guide provides the foundation for understanding the symptom of breathlessness in advanced cancer, and in turn promotes the development of management strategies to deal with this complex symptom.