How nurses assess breakthrough cancer pain, and the impact of this pain on patients' daily lives – Results of a European survey

PurposeTo increase our knowledge of how nurses assess breakthrough cancer pain (BTCP); and whether they find it difficult to distinguish BTCP from background pain; how they estimate the impact of BTCP on patients' daily lives, and the factors that nurses consider to induce BTCP. Variations in their use of assessment tools and their ability to distinguish between different types of pain were also examined in terms of the number of years of oncology nursing experience and the practice in different countries.MethodsIn total, 1241 nurses (90% female) who care for patients with cancer, from 12 European countries, completed a survey questionnaire.Key resultsHalf the sample had >9 years of experience in oncology nursing. Although 39% had no pain assessment tool to help them distinguish between types of pain, 95% of those who used a tool found it useful. Furthermore, 37% reported that they had problems distinguishing background pain from BTCP. Movement was identified as the factor that most commonly exacerbated BTCP across all countries. The nurses reported that BTCP greatly interfered with patients' everyday activities, and they rated the patients' enjoyment of life as most strongly affected. The use of tools and the ability to distinguish between different pains varied between European countries and with years of experience in oncology nursing.ConclusionsThe nurses reported that BTCP greatly interfered with patients' lives, and many nurses had problems distinguishing between background pain and BTCP. Nurses require more knowledge about BTCP management, and guidelines should be developed for clinical use.