A nationwide survey of adherence to analgesic drugs among cancer patients in Taiwan: prevalence, determinants, and impact on quality of life
Journal
Supportive Care in Cancer
Journal Volume
27
Journal Issue
8
Date Issued
2019-08-01
Author(s)
Chou, Wen Chi
Chen, Jen Shi
Hung, Chia Yen
Lu, Chang Hsien
Chiou, Tzeon Jye
Sung, Yung Chuan
Rau, Kun Ming
Yen, Chia Jui
Yeh, Su Peng
Liu, Ta Chih
Wu, Ming Fang
Lee, Ming Yang
Yu, Ming Sun
Hwang, Wen Li
Lai, Pang Yu
Chang, Cheng Shyong
Hsieh, Ruey Kuen
Abstract
© 2018, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature. Purpose: Poor adherence to analgesic drugs is one of the most common barriers to adequate pain management. This prospective, cross-sectional, patient-oriented observational study aimed to explore the adherence rate, clinical factors, and impact of adherence to analgesic drugs on the quality of life (QoL) among cancer outpatients in Taiwan. Methods: Eight hundred ninety-seven consecutive adult outpatients with cancer who had reported tumor pain and received regular analgesic drug treatment were enrolled from 16 medical centers across Taiwan. The Brief Pain Inventory was used to assess pain intensity and QoL. Morisky’s four-item medication adherence scale was used to assess adherence to analgesic drugs. Clinical factors possibly associated with good adherence to analgesic drugs were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analyses. Results: Of the 897 patients, 26.9% met criteria for the good, 35.5% for the moderate, and 37.6% for the poor adherence groups. The good adherence group had significantly better QoL outcomes than the moderate and poor adherence groups (all p < 0.05). Age ≥ 50 years, head and neck or hematological malignancies, cancer-related pain, patients who agreed or strongly agreed that the side effects of analgesic drugs were tolerable, and patients who disagreed or strongly disagreed that the dosing schedule could be flexibly self-adjusted to deal with the actual pain were predictors of good adherence to analgesic drugs. Conclusions: Awareness of the clinical factors associated with adherence to analgesic drugs may help clinicians to identify cancer patients at a greater risk of non-adherence, reinforce optimal pain management, and improve the QoL by enhancing adherence to pain medications.
Subjects
Adherence | Cancer | Pain | Predictive factor | Quality of life
Adherence; Cancer; Pain; Predictive factor; Quality of life
SDGs
Other Subjects
analgesic agent; analgesic agent; adult; aged; analgesia; Article; breast cancer; Brief Pain Inventory; cancer pain; cancer patient; clinical assessment; cross-sectional study; digestive system cancer; drug tolerability; female; head and neck cancer; health survey; hematologic malignancy; human; major clinical study; male; malignant neoplasm; medication compliance; middle aged; Morisky Medication Adherence Scale; multicenter study; observational study; outcome assessment; outpatient care; pain intensity; patient compliance; prevalence; priority journal; prospective study; quality of life; Taiwan; thorax cancer; treatment indication; unspecified side effect; cancer pain; medication compliance; neoplasm; outpatient; pathophysiology; prevalence; quality of life; questionnaire; statistics and numerical data; Adult; Aged; Analgesics; Cancer Pain; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Humans; Male; Medication Adherence; Middle Aged; Neoplasms; Outpatients; Prevalence; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taiwan
Type
journal article