Abstract
Objectives
Educational interventions are one approach to improving cancer pain management. This review aims to determine whether educational interventions can improve cancer pain management and to characterize components of cancer pain educational interventions.
Methods
Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases were searched. Systematic reviews that assessed educational interventions to improve cancer pain management were included. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from each review. A narrative approach was taken to summarizing the nature and components of interventions.
Results
Eight systematic reviews and 34 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were reviewed. Interventions targeting patients can achieve small to moderate reductions in pain intensity. Interventions targeting professionals can improve their knowledge but most trials have not assessed for resultant patient benefits. All interventions included at least one of seven core components: improving knowledge about the nature of cancer pain; aiding communication about cancer pain; enhancing pain assessment; improving analgesic prescribing; tackling barriers to analgesic non-adherence; teaching non-pharmacological pain management strategies; and promoting re-assessment.
Conclusions
Cancer pain educational interventions can improve pain outcomes. They are complex heterogeneous interventions which often contain a combination of active components.
Practice implications
Suggestions are made to aid the development of future interventions.
Educational interventions are one approach to improving cancer pain management. This review aims to determine whether educational interventions can improve cancer pain management and to characterize components of cancer pain educational interventions.
Methods
Medline, EMBASE, CINAHL, and Cochrane databases were searched. Systematic reviews that assessed educational interventions to improve cancer pain management were included. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were identified from each review. A narrative approach was taken to summarizing the nature and components of interventions.
Results
Eight systematic reviews and 34 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were reviewed. Interventions targeting patients can achieve small to moderate reductions in pain intensity. Interventions targeting professionals can improve their knowledge but most trials have not assessed for resultant patient benefits. All interventions included at least one of seven core components: improving knowledge about the nature of cancer pain; aiding communication about cancer pain; enhancing pain assessment; improving analgesic prescribing; tackling barriers to analgesic non-adherence; teaching non-pharmacological pain management strategies; and promoting re-assessment.
Conclusions
Cancer pain educational interventions can improve pain outcomes. They are complex heterogeneous interventions which often contain a combination of active components.
Practice implications
Suggestions are made to aid the development of future interventions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 269-282 |
| Number of pages | 14 |
| Journal | Patient Education and Counseling |
| Volume | 98 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 18 Nov 2014 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - Mar 2015 |
Bibliographical note
Dr Rosalind Adam completed this work during a clinical academic fellowship funded by NHS Education for Scotland (NES).Keywords
- cancer
- pain
- pain education
- professional education
- carer education
Access to Document
- PEC minor revisions revised submission
NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Patient Education and Counseling. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Patient Education and Counseling, VOL 98, ISSUE 3, (2015) DOI: 10.1016/j.pec.2014.11.003
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Dive into the research topics of 'Educational interventions for cancer pain: A systematic review of systematic reviews with nested narrative review of randomized controlled trials'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.Profiles
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Christine Bond
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Applied Health Sciences - Emeritus Professor
Person: Honorary
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Peter Murchie, BSc (Med Sci), MBChB, MSc, MRCGP, CertMgmt (Open), PhD
- School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, Applied Health Sciences - Personal Chair (Clinical)
- Institute of Applied Health Sciences
Person: Clinical Academic