title: The use of the Rotterdam Symptom Checklist in palliative care.
abstract: The Rotterdam Symptom Checklist (RSCL), which measures both physical and psychological aspects of quality of life (QOL), was given to all new patients admitted to a palliative care unit who were thought capable of filling out a questionnaire as an outcome measure of symptom control. Assessments were obtained from 52 patients at baseline (week 1). This represented only 53% of the new patients admitted to the unit. Thirty-one patients completed a second questionnaire at week 2, and only 28 patients completed a third (week 3). In these selected patients, the median overall RSCL scores were 57, 52, and 49 at weeks 1, 2, and 3. There was a significant improvement in QOL scores across the three measurements with a significant difference between weeks 1 and 3 (P = 0.05) but not between weeks 1 and 2. Primarily because of the inability of many patients to complete the questionnaire and the high attrition rate, the appropriateness of this tool as a symptom control measure in palliative care patients is questioned.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Medicine, Royal Marsden NHS Trust, London and Surrey, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Hardy
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Edmonds
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rees
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: A'Hern
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires