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Prevalence of pain in hospitalised cancer patients in Norway: a national survey

Department of Anaesthesia and Post-operative Care, Ulleva°l University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo

Nina Aass

Palliative Care Research Unit, The Norwegian Radium Hospital, Oslo

Tone Nordøy

Department of Oncology, University Hospital of North Norway, Tromsø

Dagny Faksvåg Haugen

Regional Centre of Excellence for Palliative Care, Western Norway, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen

Stein Kaasa

Palliative Medicine Unit, University Hospital of Trondheim, Trondheim

Wenche Mohr

Centre for Palliative Care, Ulleva°l University Hospital, Oslo

Ulf E Kongsgaard

Department of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, The Norwegian Radium Hospital and Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo

Purpose: Pain severely impairs health-related quality of life and is a feared symptom among cancer patients. Unfortunately, patients often do not receive optimal care. We wanted to evaluate the quality of cancer pain treatment in Norwegian hospitals.

Patients and methods: A one-day prevalence study targeting hospitalised cancer patients above 18 years of age was performed. A questionnaire based on the Brief Pain Inventory was used, and additional information regarding sex, age, diagnosis, break through pain (BTP), and treatment was included.

Results: Fifty two percent of the included patients stated having cancer related pain (n = 453), and mean pain during the previous 24 hours for these patients was NRS 3.99 (Numeric Rating scale 1-10). Presence of metastasis, occurrence of BTP, and abnormal skin sensibility in the area of pain were associated with higher pain scores. Forty two percent of all patients used opioids. However, these patients still had higher pain scores, more episodes of BTP, and more influence of the pain on daily life functions than average. Thirty percent of patients with severe pain (NRS 5) did not use opioids, and some of these patients did not receive any analgesics at all.

Conclusion: Although most cancer patients receive an acceptable pain treatment in Norwegian hospitals, there are patients who are not adequately managed. Lack of basic knowledge and individual systematic symptom assessment may be reasons for the underuse of analgesics and the resulting unnecessary suffering among the cancer patients.

Key Words: cancer • pain • palliative care • prevalence • opioids • questionnaires

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 21, No. 1, 7-13 (2007)
DOI: 10.1177/0269216306073127


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