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Concerns about analgesics among patients and family caregivers in a hospice setting
Author(s) -
Ward Sandra E.,
Berry Patricia Emery,
Misiewicz Hollis
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
research in nursing and health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.836
H-Index - 85
eISSN - 1098-240X
pISSN - 0160-6891
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1098-240x(199606)19:3<205::aid-nur4>3.0.co;2-o
Subject(s) - worry , dyad , medicine , context (archaeology) , palliative care , family caregivers , hospice care , cancer pain , addiction , family medicine , psychiatry , cancer , nursing , psychology , social psychology , anxiety , paleontology , biology
Patients receiving curative treatment for cancer have concerns about reporting pain and using analgesics. These concerns are associated with underutilization of analgesics. To extend knowledge about such concerns to the context of palliative care, the concerns of hospice patients and family caregivers were compared. Within 5 days of admission to hospice, 35 patients with cancer and their caregivers each completed a measure of eight concerns such as fear of addiction, worry about tolerance, and worry about side effects. There was no correlation between caregiver and patient concerns and means for the two groups were similar, indicating that within a given dyad either the patient or the caregiver may have greater concerns. The findings highlight the need for patient and caregiver education about reporting pain and using analgesics. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.