Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale (ESAS)

What is ESAS?  

Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) addresses nine common symptoms including pain, nausea and anxiety. 

This tool is designed to assist in the assessment of: pain, tiredness, nausea, depression, anxiety, drowsiness, appetite, well being, and shortness of breath. The severity at the time of assessment of each symptom is rated from 0 to 10 on a numerical scale; with 0 meaning that the symptom is absent and 10 that it is the worst possible severity. 

The ESAS is completed every time a patient visits the cancer centre and scores provide a clinical profile of symptom severity over time. It provides a context within which symptoms can begin to be understood. However, it is not a complete symptom assessment in itself and should be used as one part of a complete clinical assessment. 

Click here for more information about completing the ESAS tool.