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Cancer pain management at home (II): does age influence attitudes towards pain and analgesia?

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Supportive Care in Cancer Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Goals of work

Older patients experience a higher prevalence of pain, including cancer pain, than other age groups and tend to receive poorer pain management. The reasons for unnecessary suffering resulting from pain among older patients are not well understood. This study aimed to identify barriers to cancer pain management for older patients living at home and to compare these with a younger control group.

Patients and methods

Patients newly referred to community-based palliative care services were interviewed about their pain and related issues. Data included pain impact (BPI), mood (HAD), health (EuroQol), and barriers to reporting of pain and analgesic use (Barriers Questionnaire).

Main results

Fifty-eight patients aged 75 or over and 32 people aged 60 or under were interviewed. Both groups reported that beliefs about the use of analgesics was the greatest barrier to effective pain management. Older patients reported that beliefs about the use of analgesics and communicating with medical staff were significantly more important barriers to pain management than for younger patients. Overall, factors such as communication with medical staff and fatalism were ranked lower than barriers related to medication. Younger patients reported significantly greater sleep disturbance due to pain and greater anxiety.

Conclusions

Older age appears to influence attitudes towards pain and analgesia. Factors such as poorer knowledge about taking analgesia, reluctance to communicate with medical staff, poorer performance status, and being more likely to live alone suggest that older patients may require greater support in the management of their cancer pain than younger patients. Targeted interventions are needed to test this proposition.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported by a research grant from the Big Lottery Fund (RG/1/010136487). We are very grateful to community nursing team members of St Gemma’s Hospice and Sue Ryder Care Wheatfields for their help in recruitment.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Leeds, Leeds, UK

    S. José Closs & J. Chatwin

  2. Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Michael I. Bennett

  3. School of Healthcare, Baines Wing, University of Leeds, Leeds, LS2 9UT, UK

    S. José Closs

Authors
  1. S. José Closs
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  2. J. Chatwin
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  3. Michael I. Bennett
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Correspondence to S. José Closs.

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Closs, S.J., Chatwin, J. & Bennett, M.I. Cancer pain management at home (II): does age influence attitudes towards pain and analgesia?. Support Care Cancer 17, 781–786 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-008-0548-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-008-0548-4

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