Pain course helps cancer patients and partners

Involving both patients with end-stage cancer and their caregivers in a pain control program has benefits for both, results of a pilot study suggest.

Dr. Francis J. Keefe, of Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, and his associates provided instruction in partner-guided pain management that included educational information about cancer pain and training in pain coping skills.

As described in the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, the program consisted of three hour-long sessions administered by nurse educators.

The team compared 28 patient-partner pairs assigned to the pain management program with another 28 who received standard care. All the patients had advanced cancer and were expected to live less than 6 months.

Patients' responses on a 10-point scale showed a pattern of less pain in the pain management group. This amounted to 4.60, compared to 5.19 in the control group.

Partners who participated in the pain management program reported significantly higher levels of confidence in helping the patient control pain and other symptoms. There was also a trend toward lower levels of caregiver strain.

The investigators suggest that more training sessions earlier in the patient's illness could have even more impact, and conclude that "partner-guided pain management training may have potential in buffering the stressful impact of caregiving at the end of life."

SOURCE: Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, March 2005.