Elderly hospice patients' perspective on pain management

The literature reports that 70% of cancer patients with advanced disease experience pain. Even with increased emphasis on research and education, problems with effective pain management are still evident. Hospice patients' knowledge and attitudes about pain may contribute to this complex problem. To gain an understanding of hospice patients' perspective on the management of pain, 57 hospice patients were asked to describe their knowledge of pain management and their attitudes toward controlling pain. Results showed non-facilitative attitudes and gaps in knowledge that may contribute to ineffective pain management among hospice patients.

On the putative uniqueness of cancer pain: do psychological principles apply?

A large volume of evidence has supported the important role of psychological principles and variables related to the perception of, and response to, nociceptive stimulation. On the basis of this research, a number of psychological interventions have been developed and used successfully with pain patients. Despite the evidence, there has been a tendency for practitioners to neglect the contributing role of cognitive, affective, and behavioral factors in reports of pain by cancer patients. Cancer seems to hold a unique status in medicine and society at large. In this paper, the cancer pain literature is briefly reviewed and evidence is presented for various psychological determinants of the pain report and response that may be extended to pain associated with cancer. The implications of these data for understanding and treatment of cancer patients are described.