Paper
Friday, 21 July 2006
This presentation is part of : Complementary and Alternative Health Practices
An Alternative Approach to Managing Cancer Pain
Dorothy Brockopp, BSN, MS, RN, PhD1, Sherry Warden, BSN, MSN, RN, PhD1, Fawwaz Alaloul, BSN, MSN1, Celestine Gochett, RN, OCN2, and Katherine Lynch1. (1) College of Nursing, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA, (2) Saint Joseph Healthcare, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
Learning Objective #1: analyze the efficacy of complementary/alternative approaches to pain relative to the management of cancer pain.
Learning Objective #2: incorporate complementary/alternative approaches to diminishing pain with traditional methods for managing cancer pain.
                       An Alternative Approach to Managing Cancer Pain            The traditional approach to managing cancer pain includes the use of pharmacological agents, radiation and antineoplastic therapy.  In addition to these traditional approaches to pain management, cancer patients frequently seek help from complimentary/alternative health care practitioners. Research suggests that a number of alternative approaches to pain can diminish cancer pain for some individuals. Massage, hypnosis and acupuncture are a few of the approaches that have been shown to be effective.  Unfortunately, traditional and alternative approaches are rarely combined within a cancer patient’s plan of care.            The specific aim of this project was to develop an algorithm that would enable nurses to guide the management of cancer pain using both traditional and complementary approaches to the management of pain.  The project involved two phases.  During phase 1 the World Health Organization’s flowchart relative to the management of cancer pain was modified as the result of an extensive literature review and interviews of five nurse experts on the management of cancer pain and five complementary/alternative health care practitioners.  Phase 2 focused on the evaluation of the algorithm.  One hundred oncology nurses responded to a questionnaire assessing the validity of the algorithm as well as their patients’ use of all approaches within the last year. Psychometric evaluation of the questionnaire showed acceptable levels of reliability and validity.            Results showed high initial levels of acceptance among oncology nurses for the algorithm. Knowledge of use of all facets of the algorithm was limited given the tendency for patients to hide use of alternative approaches from their physician.  A follow-up study with patients regarding their use of these approaches for the management of cancer pain is planned.             

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