Symptom Management Guides

Symptom Management Guides – developed through the Ontario Cancer Symptom Management Collaborative, an initiative of Cancer Care Ontario (CCO) – assist health care professionals in the assessment and appropriate management of a patient's cancer-related symptoms.

The app is an algorithm to help guide assessment and care planning based on the severity of a patient’s identified symptoms. Patients should be screened initially for symptoms using the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS). Most symptoms in the app ask you to first enter the ESAS score to help determine the appropriate care pathway. The app then guides you through clinical assessment and care planning, including both non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions.

Each care planning guide is a condensed, portable companion to the full guide-to-practice posted on CCO’s website, http://www.cancercare.on.ca/toolbox/symptools.

These guides have been through a rigorous, interdisciplinary development and review process using the ADAPTE framework approach.

The development of these tools reflect the leadership and dedication of members of Cancer Care Ontario’s Symptom Management and Algorithm Working Groups and the Cancer Journey Advisory Group and the Canadian Association of Psychosocial Oncology (CAPO), with support from the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC).

Disclaimer: The Working Groups have exercised care in preparing the information embodied in this iPhone application. Nonetheless, any person seeking to apply or consult the guidance for practice documents is expected to use their independent clinical judgment and skills in the context of individual circumstances or seek the supervision of a qualified specialist clinician. CCO, CPAC and CAPO make no representation or warranties of any kind whatsoever regarding their content or use or application and disclaims any responsibility for their application or use in any way.