[Patients with cancer-related pain and other chronic pain. Priorities and assessment]

(Pasienter med kreftrelaterte og andre kroniske smerter. Prioritering og vurdering.)

Full Abstract

In a survey completed at our hospital, 519 doctors and nurses were asked how pain treatment was estimated whether it received priority, and to what degree patients' pain syndromes were assessed. A total of 473 responded to the questionnaire. In the study cancer-related pain and pain from causes other than cancer were assessed in separate population groups. The responders considered that the staff gave higher priority to patients with cancer-related pain, than to patients with other pain. There was a discrepancy between the physicians' and the nurses' answers to the question whether optimal pain relief was obtained. In the cancer pain group, 94% of the physicians and 78% of the nurses assumed that optimal pain relief was obtained fairly often or very often. The corresponding figures in the non-cancer pain group were 53% for the physicians and 35% for the nurses. Only 46% assumed that a planned pain assessment was done as a routine. Physicians and nurses alike experienced great inadequacy in their work with patients in pain. This was expressed more clearly in connection with pain not caused by cancer.

Author information

Author/s: Skauge, M (M); Borchgrevink, P C (PC); Kaasa, S (S);

Affiliation: Smerteseksjonen Anestesiavdelingen, Regionsykehuset i Trondheim.

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Comparative Study; English Abstract; Journal Article

Journal: Tidsskrift for den Norske lægeforening : tidsskrift for praktisk medicin, ny række (Tidsskr Nor Laegeforen), published in NORWAY. (Language: nor)

Reference: 1996-Feb; vol 116 (issue 4) : pp 473-7

Dates: Created 1996/07/15; Completed 1996/07/15; Revised 2008/07/16;

PMID: 8644047, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: )

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

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