title: [Survey on patients' satisfaction with opioid rescue guidance by pharmacists].
abstract: To examine the influence of drug therapy guidance by pharmacists on the use of a rescue dose (RD) for opioid analgesics (opioids) and pain as well as drug therapy guidance in cancer pain treatment, we conducted a patient satisfaction survey. The subjects were 56 cancer patients undergoing opioid therapy in hospitals belonging to the Symptom Control Research Group (SCORE-G). The survey period was 2 months (from November 1 until December 31, 2006). Drug therapy guidance regarding the use of RD was performed twice in each patient to evaluate the patients' satisfaction. RD was prescribed in 87.8% of the patients in the first guidance and in 80.5% in the second guidance periods. The proportion of patients who used RD significantly increased from 63.8% to 87.5%. Five items significantly improved in the second guidance period: "marked analgesic effects," "satisfaction with current treatment," "correct understanding of RD usage," "relief through RD," and "appropriate use of RD." On comprehensive evaluation following the second round of guidance, 81% of the patients reported overall satisfaction, and 78% reported the usefulness of guidance in pain treatment. These results suggest that positive guidance by pharmacists increases patients' satisfaction. In providing guidance, it was important to confirm the characteristics and side effects of opioids as well as the necessity of RD to patients accurately and repeatedly.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Pharmacy, Fukuoka University Hospital.
authors.forename: Hisamitsu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Takase
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kawade
authors.forename: Hiromi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iwata
authors.forename: Rika
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: Toshimasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Itoh
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shiokawa
authors.forename: Yumiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shibasaki
authors.forename: Masumi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.forename: Atsuo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hisada
authors.forename: Motohiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sano
authors.forename: Hideya
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kokubun
authors.forename: Hajime
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kagaya
authors.forename: Tsutomu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Suzuki
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D003625:Data Collection; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010595:Pharmacists; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid