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. 2014 Feb;31(1):79-86.
doi: 10.1177/1049909113476129. Epub 2013 Feb 12.

A systematic review of health care interventions for pain in patients with advanced cancer

Kathryn A Martinez  1 , Rebecca A Aslakson, Renee F Wilson, Colleen C Apostol, Oluwakemi A Fawole, Brandyn D Lau, Daniela Vollenweider, Eric B Bass, Sydney M Dy
Affiliations

A systematic review of health care interventions for pain in patients with advanced cancer

Kathryn A Martinez et al. Am J Hosp Palliat Care. 2014 Feb.

Abstract

Purpose: Poorly controlled pain is common in advanced cancer. The objective of this article was to synthesize the evidence on the effectiveness of pain-focused interventions in this population.

Methods: We searched MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane, and DARE from 2000 through December 2011. We included prospective, controlled health care intervention studies in advanced cancer populations, focusing on pain.

Results: Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria; most focused on nurse-led patient-centered interventions. In all, 9 (47%) of the 19 studies found a significant effect on pain. The most common intervention type was patient/caregiver education, in 17 (89%) of 19 studies, 7 of which demonstrated a significant decrease in pain.

Conclusions: We found moderate strength of evidence that pain in advanced cancer can be improved using health care interventions, particularly nurse-led patient-centered interventions.

Keywords: advanced cancer; end of life; health care interventions; pain; quality improvement; systematic review.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Summary of evidence search and screening.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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