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Abstract

Background:

Understanding why some patients with terminal illness are reluctant to take sufficient medication to control pain is critical to effective pain management. Objective: As a first step toward exploring the pain medication-taking behavior of palliative care patients, this pilot study tested a survey regarding pain medication adherence, medication beliefs, and quality of life (QoL).

Design:

Convenience sample; survey.

Setting/Subjects:

Six patients receiving inpatient Palliative Care consultations at an academic medical center answered questions about their outpatient pain medication-taking behavior.

Measurements:

Medication Adherence Report Scale (MARS), Beliefs about Medications Questionnaire (BMQ), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), closed-response items from a pain medication adherence study in terminally ill patients, the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire (McGill), and demographic items.

Results:

The battery of questionnaires took approximately 53 minutes; five of six participants were able to complete all items. Respondents reported moderate to severe pain (mean 4.3/10 for pain on average; 7/10 for worst pain in past 24 hours), and excellent medication adherence. When asked how much relief was provided by pain therapies, respondents reported a mean 73% (range 50-100%) relief. They expressed little concern about addiction, but more concern about medication-induced nausea and constipation. Overall QoL was good (mean 6.8/10, range 5-10, higher score better), with notably high scores in existential and support domains.

Conclusions:

Inpatients receiving palliative care consultation were able to complete interviewer-administered questionnaires regarding their pain perceptions, medications, and QoL. Further studies using these instruments are feasible and could inform shared decision making about pain management.

Keywords

pain perceptions medication adherence palliative care quality of life pilot study survey design

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Measuring Pain Perceptions and Medication Taking Behavior at the End of Life

Abstract

Background:

Design:

Setting/Subjects:

Measurements:

Results:

Conclusions:

Keywords

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References