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. 2013 Nov;113(11):42-9; quiz 50.
doi: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000437112.43059.a0.

Routine dyspnea assessment on unit admission

Kathy Baker  1 , Jennifer Barsamian, Danielle Leone, Barbara C Donovan, Donna Williams, Kerry Carnevale, Robert Lansing, Robert Banzett
Affiliations

Routine dyspnea assessment on unit admission

Kathy Baker et al. Am J Nurs. 2013 Nov.

Abstract

Dyspnea assessment is valuable in diagnosis, prognosis, symptom management, and targeted intervention, and in the allotment and management of patient care resources. The assessment of dyspnea, like that of pain, depends on patient self-report. Expert consensus panels have called for dyspnea to be measured quantitatively and documented on a routine basis, as is the practice with pain. But little information is available on how to measure and record dyspnea ratings systematically. Consequently, the prevalence of dyspnea in hospital settings may be greater than is generally recognized, and dyspnea may be insufficiently managed. This article describes a pilot study that sought to test the feasibility of measuring dyspnea as part of the initial patient assessment performed by nurses within several inpatient units of a large urban hospital.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors and planners have disclosed no potential conflicts of interest, financial or otherwise.

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