Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Clinical Trial
. 2010 Mar;39(3):486-501.
doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2009.08.007.

Reducing patient barriers to pain and fatigue management

Tami Borneman  1 , Marianna Koczywas, Virginia Chih-Yi Sun, Barbara F Piper, Gwen Uman, Betty Ferrell
Affiliations
Clinical Trial

Reducing patient barriers to pain and fatigue management

Tami Borneman et al. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2010 Mar.

Abstract

Context: Pain and fatigue are recognized as critical symptoms that impact the quality of life of cancer patients. The barriers to pain and fatigue relief have been classified into three categories: patient, professional, and system barriers.

Objectives: The overall objective of this trial as to test the effects of the "Passport to Comfort" intervention on reducing barriers to pain and fatigue management for ambulatory care cancer patients.

Methods: This quasi-experimental, comparative study uses a Phase 1 control group of usual care followed sequentially by a Phase 2 intervention group in which educational and system-change efforts were directed toward improved pain and fatigue management. A sample of 187 cancer patients with breast, lung, colon, or prostate cancers, and a pain and/or fatigue rating of 4 or more (moderate to severe), were recruited. Patients in the intervention group received four educational sessions on pain/fatigue assessment and management, whereas patients in the control group received usual care. Pain and fatigue barriers and patient knowledge were measured at baseline, one month, and three months post-accrual.

Results: Patients in the intervention group experienced significant improvements in pain and fatigue measures immediately postintervention, and these improvements were sustained over time.

Conclusion: The "Passport to Comfort" intervention was effective in reducing patient barriers to pain and fatigue management as well as in increasing patient knowledge regarding pain and fatigue. This intervention demonstrates innovation by translating the evidence-based guidelines for pain and fatigue as developed by the National Comprehensive Cancer Network into practice.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Total attrition for both phases, n=90 (32.5%)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. National Institutes of Health. Symptom management in cancer: pain, depression, and fatigue. 2002. Available from: http://consensus.nih.gov/ta/022/022_statement.htm. - PubMed
    1. Davis D, O’Brien MA, Freemantle N, et al. Impact of formal continuing medical education: do conferences, workshops, rounds, and other traditional continuing education activities change physician behavior or health care outcomes? JAMA. 1999;282(9):867–874. - PubMed
    1. Slotnick HB. How doctors learn: physicians’ self-directed learning episodes. Acad Med. 1999;74(10):1106–1117. - PubMed
    1. Allard P, Maunsell E, Labbe J, Dorval M. Educational interventions to improve cancer pain control: a systematic review. J Palliat Med. 2001;4(2):191–203. - PubMed
    1. Cleeland CS, Janjan NA, Scott CB, Seiferheld WF, Curran WJ. Cancer pain management by radiotherapists: a survey of radiation therapy oncology group physicians. Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys. 2000;47(1):203–208. - PubMed

Publication types