Problem statement – This will be new content for most of you. Discuss the motivating problem/issue and the objective of your review. For example, if your background discusses the importance and benefits of palliative care, the problem statement section may discuss that despite this, palliative care is underutilized in primary care because primary providers lack the knowledge, skills, and confidence to discuss this with their patients. Thus, your review objective may be to identify whether educating primary care providers about palliative care increases their knowledge, skills, and confidence to discuss palliative care with their patients.
Background
Cancer is a disease in which abnormal cells divide uncontrollably and destroy body tissue, harming an individual’s well-being (Basic Information about Ovarian Cancer, 2022). It is a high-mortality disease with a significantly high morbidity rate, making it the second leading cause of death worldwide (Donkor, 2018). More than 18 million people globally have cancer (Worldwide Cancer Data | World Cancer Research Fund International, 2022). About 10 million people died from cancer alone in 2020 (WHO, 2022). Cancer most commonly is a disease with a long course of action, from emergence and diagnosis to treatment and regarding how the length of survival. As such, long-acting chemotherapy treatment is an essential requirement of patients. Over the past few years, cancer, as a long-acting care concern, has become a more prevalent and intended topic by healthcare providers (National Cancer Institute, 2021).
Integrating a practical healthcare approach, such as palliative care, may address this concern. Palliative care is an evidence-based practice providing services to patients with severe and chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, or cancer. Palliative care aims to treat illness or improve symptoms and provide holistic patient care (National Cancer Institute, 2021). Palliative care options and holistic patient care centers address patients’ socioeconomic, mental, cultural, and spiritual concerns (Zamanzadeh et al., 2015).
Palliative care for cancer patients uses the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) questionnaire tool to evaluate the most common symptoms experienced by cancer patients (Chan, Stephanie, et al., 2017). The most common symptoms assessed under this tool include pain, fatigue, dyspnea, mental health problems, nausea, anorexia or polyphagia, general health, and lethargy. The patient-reported outcomes (PRO) of ESAS include health-linked life quality; functional status; symptoms and complication burden; health behaviors, and patient care experience. This study examines whether the quality of palliative care provided to adult cancer patients improves due to early completion of the ESAS. The ESAS has been established as a commonly utilized tool by providers that supports palliative care goals (Hui & Bruera, 2017). Using PRO in the care process effectively improves patient-centered care delivery (Tang et al., 2018)
Problem Statement: Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide, and long-acting chemotherapy is a necessary treatment for cancer patients. Despite the availability of chemotherapy treatment, cancer patients still suffer from symptoms that negatively impact their quality of life. Palliative care has emerged as a practical approach that may help address the complex needs of cancer patients and improve their overall well-being. However, it is unclear whether the quality of palliative care provided to adult cancer patients improves due to early completion of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) questionnaire tool. Therefore, the problem statement is to determine whether completing the ESAS questionnaire tool early in the palliative care process improves the quality of palliative care provided to adult cancer patients.
Objective: The objective of this review is to examine whether the quality of palliative care provided to adult cancer patients improves due to early completion of the ESAS questionnaire tool. This review will explore the literature on the use of the ESAS questionnaire tool in palliative care and the impact of early completion of the ESAS on patient-centered care delivery. The review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the potential benefits of using the ESAS questionnaire tool in palliative care and the implications for healthcare providers in improving the quality of care provided to adult cancer patients.