title: [Pain management in patients of a Swiss Institute of Oncology and the role of nurses: from programs to reality].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In 2004, the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI) started a program to improve cancer pain treatment, through training of health professionals and the introduction of monitoring tools .
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim is to evaluate patient relief from pain (effective pain control), with attention to nursing role (pain assessment, monitoring and documentation).
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study. The health records of patients admitted in the last three months of 2010 were consulted to evaluate how pain was assessed and managed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Out of 177 patients admitted, 93 (52.6 %) experienced pain during hospitalization and 85 were included in the analysis . Sixty-two out of 85 (72.9 %) received drugs in reserve > = 2 days. They had pain from 2 to 28 days (median 4). For 56/62 patients ( 90.3 %) analgesic therapy was changed one or more times and 40 of them ( 63.4 % ) received strong opioids during hospitalization . In 8/62 cases pain wasn't documented, and overall, in 25/85 (29.4 %) intensity or any other feature weren't documented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  At IOSI there is a good pharmacological control of pain. Analgesics are prescribed upon entry and are modulated according to patient needs, even with wide administration of opioids. The issue to improve is pain assessment and monitoring by nurses, whose role is mainly oriented to contribute to the pharmacological management of this symptom.
authors.affiliation: PhD, Responsabile Ufficio Sviluppo e Ricerca Infermieristica, Istituto Oncologico della Svizzera Italiana (IOSI), Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Canton Ticino, Svizzera. Corrispondence: dario.valcarenghi@eoc.ch dario.valcarenghi@libero.it.
authors.forename: Dario
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Valcarengi
authors.affiliation: Clinical Specialist nurse, Docente Bachelor in Cure infermieristiche, Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Manno, Canton Ticino, Svizzera.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pedrazzani
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Nursing Science, Facoltà di Medicina e Chirurgia, Università degli Studi di Torino.
authors.forename: Paola
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Di Giulio
authors.affiliation: Nurse, Ufficio Sviluppo e Ricerca Infermieristica, Istituto Oncologico della Svizzera Italiana (IOSI), Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, Bellinzona, Canton Ticino, Svizzera.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moser
authors.affiliation: Researcher, Dipartimento Economia Aziendale, Sanità e Sociale, Scuola Universitaria Professionale della Svizzera Italiana (SUPSI), Manno, Canton Ticino, Svizzera.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bianchi
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D024802:Nurse's Role; D010146:Pain; D059408:Pain Management; D010147:Pain Measurement; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013557:Switzerland