title: Old and new tools to assess dyspnea in the hospitalized patient.
abstract: In the assessment of dyspnea one has to take into account both the patient's own experience of the symptom and the clinicians observations of breathing rates, sounds and effort to get a complete picture. In addition, to choose appropriate treatment, the underlying cause of dyspnea needs to be assessed. While tools for clinical evaluation of heart failure have gained great interest in research and found a place in guidelines and clinical practice, the same cannot be said for instruments to assess patient self-reported dyspnea. To date, no specific dyspnea rating tool has been recommend over another. Reports from clinical practice are lacking and large; international studies in this field are warranted.
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Unit, Department of Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. barbro.kjellstrom@ki.se
authors.forename: Barbro
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kjellström
authors.forename: Martje H L
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: van der Wal
mesh_terms: D004417:Dyspnea / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000150:complications*; D006403:Hematologic Tests / Q000379:methods; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods; D012720:Severity of Illness Index