Relationship between prescribed opioids, pain management satisfaction, and pain intensity in oncology outpatients

Abstract

Background: Pain is the most severe and commonest symptom for patients with cancer. Patients' pain management satisfaction is an essential indicator of quality care and further affects their willingness to seek care.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the correlations between patients' prescribed opioids, pain management satisfaction, and pain intensity.

Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional correlation design, recruited a total of 123 patients with cancer pain through convenience sampling, and used two research scales, namely the Chinese version of the Pain Treatment Satisfaction Scale and the Brief Pain Inventory-Short Form.

Results: The findings indicated that the correlations of prescribed opioid dosage with pain management satisfaction (r = - .10, p > .05) and pain intensity (worst pain, least pain, average pain, and pain right now; r = - .05 to .01, p > .05) were nonsignificant. The correlations of pain management satisfaction with pain intensity (r = .24 to .32, p < .01), pain interference (r = .32, p < .01), and pain relief (r = - .25, p < .01) were all significant, but that with the worst pain (r = .06, p > .05) was nonsignificant.

Conclusions: Medical professionals providing cancer pain management should focus on medicines strategies and individuals' pain relief requirements. In particular, patients with the worst pain require extra investigations into their needs, and their satisfaction with their level of pain should be further evaluated.

Keywords: Cancer; Opioids; Pain; Satisfaction.