Holistic assessment of cancer patients' pain: reflections on current practice

Abstract

This article explores the holistic assessment and management of pain for palliative care patients through the use of a case study. Using literature searching and reflection on current local practice, issues within pain assessment and management for cancer patients are identified. These issues include communication, opioid misconceptions, disease progression associated with increased pain, and the need to address all components of cancer patients' total pain. Reflection on practice has highlighted that education, effective communication and multidisciplinary collaboration, and adaptation of an existing assessment tool to develop a multidimensional holistic approach to assessing pain, have the potential to improve quality of life for palliative care patients and their families.