Abstract
The purpose of this study was to explore the nurses in the assessment and management of cancer pain, and the role of patients and their family, doctors, and other nursing staff in this process. Ninety-five nurses in the oncology ward were recruited to complete a questionnaire originally developed by Ferrell. The results were as follows: (1) 63.2% of nursing staff didn't ask the patients about their pain intensity to assess cancer pain. The most common barrier to assessment of cancer pain was the knowledge of cancer patients and their families; (2) the most common pharmacological management of cancer pain included strong opioid analgesics. About fifteen percent of nursing staff agreed that higher opioid analgesic dosage was required to release the cancer pain. The most common barrier for analgesic management was patient's compliance; (3) the most common analgesic management was massage. Again, The most common barrier was patient compliance; (4) Most nursing staff worried about the patient's pain not being adequately managed, respiratory inhibition, giving too much medication, whether pain is real, and drug addiction. This study suggests that setttingup pain assessment record sheets and enhancement of the knowledge and skill of nursing staff will improve the assessment and management of cancer pain.
Original language | Chinese (Traditional) |
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Pages (from-to) | 29-38 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | 新臺北護理期刊 |
Volume | 4 |
Issue number | 2 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2002 |