Intermittent subcutaneous injections of pain medication: effectiveness, manageability, and satisfaction

This study describes the use of intermittent subcutaneous injections of medications for pain control in a home hospice program. Six questionnaires were used to collect data over a one-year time period on the 52 patients who received medications by this route. Eighty-four percent of those patients had a diagnosis of cancer; patients received hospice care for a mean of 25 days. On average, intermittent subcutaneous medications were instituted three days prior to the patient's death. The main indication for this route was difficulty swallowing. Morphine was the most frequently used drug; side effects from the medication and problems with the route were rarely reported. Demographic information was collected on both the nursing staff and patients' caregivers; analysis indicated that caregivers were able to manage the injections and were satisfied with the method. Assessment of pain prior to and following the injections demonstrated the effectiveness of this method in controlling patients' pain.