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Better pain management needed for cancer patients, study says
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 28, 2011
Chronic pain is common among cancer patients, yet more needs to be done to ensure that oncologists have the knowledge and ability to help patients manage such pain, says a study published online Nov. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (link).
Researchers analyzed a survey of 610 oncologists. They found that although the physicians rated their specialty high in being able to manage patients' pain, many incorrectly answered questions about commonly accepted best practices for pain management.
The majority of oncologists surveyed rated the quality of their pain management training received in medical school as poor, with a median ranking of three out of 10.
Commonly cited barriers to optimal pain management included patients' reluctance to take analgesics or accurately report the amount of pain they were experiencing. Some physicians also cited a reluctance to prescribe opioids.
Only 14% to 16% of oncologists said they frequently referred patients to pain or palliative care specialists.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/11/28/prbf1128.htm.
