Symptom experience of adult hospitalized medical-surgical patients.

The purpose of this study is to describe the symptom experience of adult patients hospitalized in medical/surgical units, to examine the relationship between demographic characteristics and symptom experience, and to explore the relationship between symptom severity and symptom distress. Utilizing the Memorial Symptom Assessment Scale (MSAS), patients (n=334) were asked to convey the presence or absence of each of 31 symptoms, the severity of the symptoms, and the degree to which the symptoms distressed or bothered them. Higher levels of symptom distress were found in women and in those who were unpartnered. The average number of symptoms reported per patient was 9.31 (SD=5.15), with a mean symptom distress rating of 1.8 (SD=0.84) and a mean symptom severity rating of 1.65 (SD=0.83) on a 1-5 scale. The correlation between reports of symptom severity and symptom distress varied greatly by symptom, ranging from r=0.37 to r=0.82. This is the first study to examine the symptom prevalence, severity, and distress of hospitalized medical/surgical patients. The large sample size allowed for the detection of demographic differences in the reporting of symptom distress, and advances the current knowledge in the area.