title: "Whatever my mother wants": barriers to adequate pain management.
abstract: Opioids are the preferred medications to treat cancer pain; however, several barriers to cancer pain management exist, including those related to the patient, health care provider, and family caregiver. We describe one such situation in which a family member prevents the patient from receiving adequate pain management at the end of life despite interdepartmental and interdisciplinary efforts. This case highlights the importance of understanding and addressing fears regarding opioid use and implementing an integrated approach including oncologists and palliative care physicians, along with early referrals to palliative care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Care and Rehabilitation Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA. asreddy@mdanderson.org
authors.forename: Akhila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Reddy
authors.forename: Sriram
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yennurajalingam
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bruera
mesh_terms: D000739:Anecdotes as Topic; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015458:Leukemia, T-Cell / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D008479:Mediastinal Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D016743:Mental Competency; D059408:Pain Management; D010166:Palliative Care; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D019727:Proxy; D016312:Treatment Refusal