Tuesday, 14 July 2009
April Vallerand, PhD, RN
College of Nursing, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI
Nijmeh Al-Atiyyat, RN
Adult health, Wayne State University, School of Nursing, Detroit, MI
Learning Objective 1: recognize the role of culture in the pain experience and that cancer pain experience should be a global priority.
Learning Objective 2: describe cancer pain experience and attitudinal barriers to cancer pain management of Arab patients in America and Jordan.
Purpose: The incidence of cancer is predicted to continue increasing over the next two decades. Because pain is a common distressing symptom experienced by cancer patients, understanding cancer pain experience should be a global priority. A recent NIH panel noted that there are insufficient data to guide therapy for those of diverse cultures. No studies have explored the multidimensional cancer pain experience among Arab and Arab American patients, or compared the differences between these populations. The purpose of this of this descriptive comparative study is to describe cancer pain experience and attitudinal barriers to cancer pain management of Arab patients in
America and
Jordan. A cross-sectional design will be used. A convenience sample of 300 cancer patients will be recruited from oncology outpatient units of two regional comprehensive cancer centers in
Jordan (n=150) and
U.S. (n=150).
Methods: Participants will complete self-report questionnaires including brief pain inventory (BPI), barriers questionnaire-II (BQ-II), and demographic data. Descriptive statistics will be used to describe the study variables; t-tests and chi-square tests will be used to assess differences between the two samples. Pearson’s correlation coefficient will be calculated to determine bivariate relationships among worst pain, pain interference and study variables. Multiple regression analysis will be employed to explore which models best described worst pain and pain interference. Mann-Whitney U test will be used to assess instrument score differences between the samples. Bonferroni adjustment will be made when comparing Arab American and Jordanian groups.
Results: Study is in progress.
Conclusion: The findings from this study will reflect the cultural diversity within Jordan and the U.S., and allow comparison of the role of culture in the pain experience. An understanding of the role of cultural factors in the pain experience of cancer patients is essential to help health professionals tailor pain control programs to cultural differences.
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