Special aspects of cancer pain management in a Chinese general hospital

Abstract

China is still faced with a challenge in cancer pain management. The purposes of this study are to assess the current status of cancer pain management, and physicians' attitudes in China towards cancer pain management. The survey was done in a Chinese general hospital; 427 physicians and 387 cancer pain patients participated. The survey consisted of questionnaires to evaluate cancer pain management and physicians' knowledge of, and attitudes towards, cancer pain management. A total of 43% of patients with cancer pain and 51% with bone pain felt that they had been inadequately treated. The physicians rated the main reason for not using opioid drugs as the strong and difficult to control side-effects. The four main barriers to optimal management of cancer pain were: inadequate pain assessment; excessive state regulation of the prescribing of opioids; inadequate staff knowledge of pain management; and lack of access to powerful analgesics. To conclude: In China, there are some special aspects of cancer pain management, including physicians' concern about using opioid drugs, fear of being unable to manage adverse effects of opioids, and inadequately treated bone pain.