PREVALENCE AND PATIENT-RELATED BARRIERS TO ADVANCED BREAST CANCER PAIN MANAGEMENT AT KISII COUNTY HEALTH FACILITIES

Abstract

Background: Despite advances in cancer pain management, research studies confirm high prevalence of cancer –related pain due to numerous patient-related barriers and  the inability of nurses to consider all dimensions of pain experience when planning for cancer pain management, this makes cancer-related pain common, severe and undertreated for many patients

Objective: to determine the prevalence and patient-related barriers to advanced breast cancer pain management at Kisii county Teaching and Referral Hospital and selected health facilities

Setting: The study was conducted at the Kisii County Teaching and Referral Hospital and selected health facilities

Population: The study populations were patients with Breast cancer admitted and those seeking outpatient services at the Kisii County Teaching and Referral Hospital and selected health facilities

Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study, simple random sampling was used to select the sample.

Results: About 61% of the respondents reported mild to moderate pain while 38.5% reported moderate to severe breast cancer-related pain implying sub-optimal pain management practices,  41.2% of the respondents always took the pain medications and 33.3% reported their pain.

Conclusions: pain prevalence was noted to be quite high, patient-related barriers included delays in diagnosis, failure to take pain medications when given, not trusting pain medications, lack f education of the pain medications and fear of side effects.

Recommendations: The nurses caring for patients with advanced breast cancer pain should give relevant patient education and ensure patients take pain medications as scheduled; this will help address high pain prevalence.