What really matters in pain management for terminally ill cancer patients in Taiwan

Siew Tzuh Tang, Woung Ru Tang, Tsang Wu Liu, Che Pin Lin, Jen Shi Chen

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal Article peer-review

11 Scopus citations

Abstract

The paradox of patients who are in pain yet satisfied with their pain management has been documented repeatedly. Pain relief constitutes only one part of patient satisfaction with pain management. The quality of cancer pain management in Taiwan has not been evaluated from the patient's perspective. A crosssectional design was used to survey 1,370 terminally ill cancer patients in Taiwan to characterize the status of, and satisfaction with cancer pain management by investigating the relative importance of pain intensity, pain relief experiences, and clinicians' pain management practices. Cancer patients with pain had unsat isfactory pain relief within one week of admission (47.4 percent) and inadequate pain medication (23.6 percent). However, these patients perceived that clinicians adequately informed them about pain treatment. Patient satisfaction with pain management was primarily determined by examining the perceptions that medication dose was just right, responses to requests for pain medication were prompt, and understandable and consistent information about pain treatment was offered. In conclusion, Taiwanese cancer patients' satisfaction with pain management was influenced more by perceived pain management practices than by pain relief itself.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)151-158
Number of pages8
JournalJournal of Palliative Care
Volume26
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - 2010

Keywords

  • Cancer pain
  • End-of-life care
  • Patient perspectives
  • Patient-health care professional communication
  • Satisfaction with pain management

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