Bovero A, Digiovanni Y, Botto R, Leombruni P. End-of-life cancer patients' total pain: the necessity to supplement pharmacology with psycho-socio-spiritual treatments.
Pain Manag 2022;
12:895-906. [PMID:
36065852 DOI:
10.2217/pmt-2022-0015]
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Abstract
Aim: To analyze pain considering its different bio-psycho-social-spiritual manifestations and to assess the effectiveness of the analgesic treatments in end-of-life cancer patients. Materials & methods: The study was cross-sectional. A total of 376 end-of-life cancer inpatients participated in the research. Their socio-demographic and clinical data were collected and, during the first psychological consultancy, they filled in a set of validated rating scales assessing pain, anxiety, depression and quality of life. Results: The results show that physical pain was well managed for almost all patients. Nevertheless, the majority showed clinically significant levels of psychological distress. Conclusion: Treating pain means caring for all its possible manifestations including psychological symptoms and reduced wellbeing. Thus, integrating pharmacological treatment with psycho-socio-spiritual interventions, in other words, psychological, social and spiritual support, could be effective and desirable.
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