TY - JOUR
T1 - Physician-related barriers to cancer pain management with opioid analgesics
T2 - a systematic review
AU - Jacobsen, Ramune
AU - Sjøgren, Per
AU - Møldrup, Claus
AU - Christrup, Lona
N1 - Keywords: Analgesics, Opioid; Humans; Neoplasms; Pain; Palliative Care; Physician's Practice Patterns; Prescriptions, Drug
PY - 2007
Y1 - 2007
N2 - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of studies on physician-related barriers to cancer pain management with opioid analgesics. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in PUBMED, using a combined text word and MeSH heading search strategy. Those articles whose full texts were not available in PUBMED were retrieved from the electronic databases of specific journals. RESULTS: Sixty-five relevant articles, published in the period from 1986 to 2006, were identified. Physicians' barriers to cancer pain management were studied in questionnaire surveys and in the reviews of drug prescribing documents. The results of the articles found were analyzed with respect to (a) knowledge, beliefs, concerns, problems endorsed or acknowledged by physicians treating cancer pain, (b) physicians' skills in pain assessment, and (c) adequacy of opioid prescription. CONCLUSIONS: This review revealed mostly general and common physician-related barriers to cancer pain management: concerns about side effects to opioids, prescription of not efficient doses of opioids, and very poor prescription for the treatment of side effects from opioids. In the future, the evaluation of the influence of cultural-social-economical background, as well as the differences between the various specialists involved in the care of patients with cancer, should be explored to better understand physicians' barriers and more effectively address them in interventional and educational programs.
AB - OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of studies on physician-related barriers to cancer pain management with opioid analgesics. METHODS: A literature search was conducted in PUBMED, using a combined text word and MeSH heading search strategy. Those articles whose full texts were not available in PUBMED were retrieved from the electronic databases of specific journals. RESULTS: Sixty-five relevant articles, published in the period from 1986 to 2006, were identified. Physicians' barriers to cancer pain management were studied in questionnaire surveys and in the reviews of drug prescribing documents. The results of the articles found were analyzed with respect to (a) knowledge, beliefs, concerns, problems endorsed or acknowledged by physicians treating cancer pain, (b) physicians' skills in pain assessment, and (c) adequacy of opioid prescription. CONCLUSIONS: This review revealed mostly general and common physician-related barriers to cancer pain management: concerns about side effects to opioids, prescription of not efficient doses of opioids, and very poor prescription for the treatment of side effects from opioids. In the future, the evaluation of the influence of cultural-social-economical background, as well as the differences between the various specialists involved in the care of patients with cancer, should be explored to better understand physicians' barriers and more effectively address them in interventional and educational programs.
KW - Former Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 17957980
SN - 1551-7489
VL - 3
SP - 207
EP - 214
JO - Journal of Opioid Management
JF - Journal of Opioid Management
IS - 4
ER -
