Associations to pain and analgesics in Indian pain patients and health workers.
OBJECTIVE
This study explores the attitudes toward analgesic therapy among persistent pain patients and health workers in palliative care in India.


METHODS
Free word association was used and quantitative content analysis was performed.


RESULTS
A total of 59 patients and 28 health workers participated. In total, 41% of the patients had <5/10 points on a pain scale. A total of 3733 associations were recovered. Personal associations were majorly coming from patients having negative connotation. Morphine produced few associations, especially among patients. Most of them were about pain relief and for patients about negative emotions.


CONCLUSIONS
Two types of knowledge were detectable, differing in quality and quantity. One was based on lived experience among patients; the other arose from scientific foundation among health workers.
Department of Gynaecology & Obstetrics, RoMed Clinical Centre Wasserburg, 83512 Wasserburg, Germany.
Luise
L
Fiedler
Department of Palliative Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52062 Aachen, Germany.
Frank
F
Elsner
Pallium India, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695008, India.|Trivandrum Institute of Palliative Sciences, WHO Collaborating Centre for Training & Policy on Access to Pain Relief, Trivandrum, India.
M R
MR
Rajagopal
Department of Palliative Medicine, RWTH Aachen University, Templergraben 55, 52062 Aachen, Germany.
Tania
T
Pastrana
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000700:Analgesics / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007194:India; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014936:Word Association Tests; D055815:Young Adult
D000700:Analgesics; D000701:Analgesics, Opioid
India; analgesic therapy; free associations; opioids; palliative care; persistent pain; routes of administration