[Applicability of QUIKS in conservatively treated tumor inpatients]

Quality improvement in conservative pain management (QUIKS), a module for nonoperative patients in the QUIPS project was tested on a cohort of tumor patients regarding its applicability.

Conservatively treated inpatients at the University Hospital of Würzburg (UKW) were prospectively surveyed on the quality of pain management using the QUIKS outcome questionnaire (AZ 129/17, Ethics Committee at UKW). Information on therapy and demographics was taken from the hospital's internal documentation system.

During the data collection period 100 conservatively treated inhouse tumor patients from different hospitals were included. Of the patients 74% required assistance in answering the questionnaire. Functional limitations or pain treatment-related side effects were present in 77% of the patients; the average pain level was 6 on the numerical rating scale. The most commonly reported type of pain was back pain and headache. Of the patients 18% received pain therapy with opioids and 26% with nonopioids, adjustment was made in 5% with opioids and in 44% with nonopioids and pain medicine specialists were consulted in 9% of cases.

The application of the questionnaire was well accepted by the patients but required a high level of assistance in completing it. A high level of pain was observed during the hospital stay and the adjustment of pain therapy or the involvement of pain medicine specialists was rare. The interpretation of statements regarding the quality of tumor pain may be limited as other (pre-existing) pain entities, such as nontumor-associated pain or chronic tumor pain could not be clearly delineated.