Identifying Training Needs in Pain Management—A Survey of Staff at a Tertiary Cancer Care Centre

Abstract

Pain is one of the most common and distressing symptoms experienced by cancer patients and can cause significant physical and psychological complications for patients and their families. Adequate pain management requires an understanding of pain, its assessment, and the use of analgesics according to the WHO analgesic ladder; information that is often lacking in routine medical education. Understanding the level of knowledge, attitudes and practices of clinicians who treat cancer pain can help us prepare relevant educational programs to address this need. A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted among randomly selected eligible clinical staff using self-administered questionnaires that contained close-ended and open-ended questions testing factual knowledge on pain, attitudes towards pain management, and practices related to pain management and opioid use. Results were analyzed using SPSS Version 28. Of 66 participants of this study, 78% were female and 65% were nurses. Only 10% had received any additional training in pain management. Knowledge on pain was found to be adequate in some areas, but deficient in others such as “types of pain” and “adjuvant drugs” (35% and 26% respectively). A significant proportion of responses (73%) showed incorrect attitudes towards pain and opioid use. Recommended practices such as prescribing laxatives with opioids were prevalent (72%), however using a tool to assess pain or the WHO ladder to prescribe analgesics was not as common. The results of this study show that despite being a key component of clinical care, pain management is not adequately understood by many clinicians. Gaps in knowledge, and incorrect attitudes could contribute to inadequate pain management for patients. This study provides valuable information for an educational workshop planned on pain management.