Relationship between pain-specific beliefs and adherence to analgesic regimens in Taiwanese cancer patients: a preliminary study

Abstract

This pilot cross-sectional study aimed to 1) explore pain beliefs and adherence to prescribed analgesics in Taiwanese cancer patients, and 2) examine how selected pain beliefs, pain sensory characteristics, and demographic factors predict analgesic adherence. Pain beliefs were measured by the Chinese version of Pain and Opioid Analgesic Beliefs Scale-Cancer (POABS-CA) and the Survey of Pain Attitudes (SOPA). Analgesic adherence was measured by patient self-report of all prescribed pain medicine taken during the previous 7 days. Only 66.5% of hospitalized cancer patients with pain (n = 194) adhered to their analgesic regimen. Overall, patients had relatively high mean scores in beliefs about disability, medications, negative effects, and pain endurance, and low scores in control and emotion beliefs. Medication and control beliefs significantly predicted analgesic adherence. Patients with higher medication beliefs and lower control beliefs were more likely to be adherent. Findings support the importance of selected pain beliefs in patients' adherence to analgesics, suggesting that pain beliefs be assessed and integrated into pain management and patient education to enhance adherence.