The prevalence of episodic pain in cancer: a survey of hospice patients on admission.
Pain that varies with time, referred to here as episodic pain, is a commonly encountered but under-investigated clinical problem. Previous studies of cancer patients have found that a significant proportion of their pains are episodic. To establish the prevalence and characteristics of episodic pains in hospice in-patients we assessed 245 consecutive admissions to four hospices in Yorkshire. The admitting doctor completed a questionnaire, detailing the characteristics of all pains experienced by the patient in the previous 24 h. Two hundred and forty-two questionnaires were entered into the study. One hundred and thirty-two patients reported pain in the preceding 24 h, of these 93% had at least one episodic pain. In total, 228 pains were described, of which 211 were episodic with a wide variation in their temporal characteristics, intensities and limitation. One hundred and fifty-two episodic pains had a precipitating factor; movement and weight bearing being the most frequent precipitants. One hundred and sixty-eight episodic pains had a relieving factor, medication improving 54%. Ninety-five pains were related to the malignancy and 47 to concurrent illness. The study confirms that episodic pain is extremely common in cancer patients referred for in-patient hospice care and highlights the need for further evaluation of its management.
Swanwick
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Bradford Community Palliative Care Team, Daisy Bank, 109 Duckworth Lane, Bradford BD9 6RN, UK.
Haworth
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M
Lennard
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RF
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000556:secondary; D004739:England / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006738:Hospices; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications*; D010146:Pain / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010166:Palliative Care; D015985:Precipitating Factors; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors
D000700:Analgesics