Related Experiment Videos
Improving pain outcomes of hospice patients with cancer
A Holzheimer1, S C McMillan, M Weitzner
1College of Nursing, University of South Florida, USA.
Purpose/Objectives:
To evaluate the success of a multifaceted, hospicewide, nurse-focused pain-management intervention for improving patient pain outcomes.
Design:
Comparative, descriptive.
Setting:
A large, nonprofit hospice that primarily provides home care.
Sample:
Two samples were included in the study. One sample (n = 47) was from a study completed in 1995 before the intervention, and one (n = 255) was from a study completed in 1997 after the intervention. All patients had been diagnosed with cancer and were alert and able to self-report.
Methods:
Secondary analysis of data that were collected as part of two quality-of-life studies. The four-part intervention included intensive pain-management education for the nurses, development and implementation of pain-management policies and procedures, changes in pain assessment and management documentation, and development and use of quality assurance monitors by the nursing staff.
Main Research Variables:
Pain at its worst, pain relief, and quality of life.
Findings:
Adjusted mean pain-relief scores were significantly lower in 1995 (X = 5.8) than in 1997 (X = 8.4). In 1995, 43% of patients reported pain relief at a level of 5 or less (on a 0-10 scale). This number dropped to 10% by 1997. Adjusted mean pain-at-its-worst scores were significantly lower in 1997 (X = 6.1) than in 1995 (X = 6.7). Pain relief was found to be positively correlated (r = 0.41-0.51) with quality of life in both samples.
Conclusions:
The hospicewide pain-management intervention was effective.
Implications For Nursing Practice:
Through careful study and multifaceted nurse-focused interventions, pain outcomes of hospice patients with cancer can be improved.