Factors involved in the management of cancer pain: a challenge for nursing professionals

Abstract

Introduction: Pain is one of the most feared symptoms of cancer patients, representing the main symptom in most patients who suffer from it. Epidemiological evidence shows that worldwide there are 37.1 million cases of cancer annually, which cause 6.9 million deaths. Unfortunately, many of the patients, who during some stage of their illness suffer pain, receive little or no medical attention. Twycross reports, after the study of 2,000 patients, suggest that most of them do not receive a satisfactory pain relief. Objective: To identify, in the reviewed literature in databases, the factors involved in pain management of cancer patients and the role of nursing in its handling. Methodology: A systematic review of the literature between 2001 and 2014 was performed using the MeSH descriptors: "pain management", "oncology" and "nursing" in PubMed, EBSCO, ProQuest, Scielo, and Ovid databases. Results: the literature reports that there are multiple factors involved in pain management by nursing professionals, such as low credibility that the nurse has when accepting, as true, the intensity of pain referred by the patient, as well as the improper evaluation of pain intensity among others. Conclusion: It is required that the nurse has the knowledge about the management of cancer pain because he/she is part of the medical staff and who permanently assists the patient, which allows to determine the effectiveness of the treatment and discuss the evolution to do the corresponding changes. [Chávez-Cañas WO, Becerra-Cristancho CB, NaranjoGarcía AS. Factors involved in the management of cancer pain: a challenge for nursing professionals. MedUNAB 2016; 19(1): 18-24]