Screening for Distress, the 6th Vital Sign in oncology: from theory to practice

Barry D. Bultz, PhD and Shannon L. Groff, BSc Psych

In routine medical practice, health professionals take vital signs to assess basic bodily functions: they are an essential part of the patient’s case presentation. In most medical settings the 4 standard vital signs are body temperature, pulse, blood pressure and respiratory rate. In 1999, the National Pharmaceutical Council and the Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations in the United States acknowledged the impact of pain and the importance of pain management in effective patient care, and subsequently deemed pain the 5th Vital Sign...