Doctors' opinions, knowledge and attitudes towards cancer pain management in a university hospital

Abstract

Cancer pain management is still reported to be inadequate despite of recent developments in medicine, resulting in serious outcomes. This study is to evaluate opinions, knowledge and attitudes of doctors working and/or being trainedg in surgical and medical departments in our university hospital, towards cancer pain management via a questionnaire. Of all doctors approached, eighty percent could be reached and 83% of them completed the questionnaire. In this group of doctors, reportedly 60% evaluating cancer patients with pain at least once in a week, most had not have any formal education about cancer pain management during their medical school or residency training and the ones reporting "any" education, described this as "limited in quality and as hours of lessons" and were not satisfied. The results of this survey suggest specific targets for the strategic and educational projects to overcome some of the barriers against the optimal cancer pain management. Most of the doctors believe that barriers originating from health professionals and systems are more important than the ones resulting from patients and give high priority to treatment of cancer pain relative to the treatment of cancer; but still half of them report that legal regulations have some influence on opioid prescription; and almost three quarters of them believe that opioid use may cause high rates of psychological addiction or abuse. Two thirds of the doctors feel themselves "insufficient" in cancer pain management, being more prominent in tasks requiring knowledge, skill, education and experience about opioid use.