Assessment and documentation of pain in oncology patients

Abstract

The lack of appropriate pain treatment remains a major problem for cancer sufferers. Experts believe that there are various reasons for this, which include inaccurate pain assessment, general non-prescription of opioids or prescription of incorrect opioid dosages and an absence of documentation on pain and pain treatment. This article reports on the findings of a research study, which was undertaken to identify the problematic areas in the assessment and documentation of pain suffered by oncology patients undergoing treatment in various medical units. A telephone survey was conducted in order to examine the pain treatment procedure, and the nursing and medical records of 37 oncology patients who were receiving pain-relieving medication. The survey found that a systematic pain assessment was made in only some of the oncology units and also that there was no pain assessment in the internal and surgical wards. None of the units participating in the survey conducted systematic documentation or follow-up of the patients’ pain or its treatment. In order to adequately treat a patient’s pain his/her pain must be accurately assessed, subsequently followed up and regular documentation of pain and its treatment must be introduced. The study revealed that no procedures had been established to adequately deal with the management of pain and therefore the authors recommend that a pain assessment and documentation policy should be adopted in the care and treatment of all oncology patients.