Pain evaluation and management: a survey of Italian radiotherapists.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge possessed and the attitudes held by Italian radiotherapists regarding evaluation and treatment of pain.


METHODS
One hundred and twenty-six radiotherapists completed a 16-item questionnaire that was specifically designed to investigate three main topics: the attention paid to pain, the use of analgesics, and pain in children. Chi-square or Fisher's exact text was employed to evaluate differences based on position (staff/resident), age (<35 or >35 years old), availability of consultants in pain therapy and/or palliative care, colleagues with main interest in palliative care among their own staff, and region of residence (north/center/south of Italy).


RESULTS
Overall percentage of correct answers was 76.6% (range 34.9-94.4%). Correct answers by groups of items were: attention paid to pain 77.3%, use of analgesics 81.5%, and pain in children 63.7%.


CONCLUSIONS
Results of the survey demonstrate that knowledge and attitudes of Italian radiotherapists towards the approach to and treatment of pain can be considered satisfactory.
Supportive Care and Rehabilitation Unit, Medical Oncology Department, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
Giampiero
G
Porzio
Marco
M
Valenti
Federica
F
Aielli
Lucilla
L
Verna
Filomena
F
Narducci
Maurizio
M
Valeriani
Enrico
E
Ricevuto
Corrado
C
Ficorella
Paolo
P
Marchetti
Vincenzo
V
Tombolini
D000328:Adult; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002648:Child; D003625:Data Collection; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D010146:Pain / Q000175:diagnosis*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology*; D018787:Radiation Oncology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000078329:Workforce
D000700:Analgesics