Cancer pain management needs and perspectives of patients from Chinese backgrounds: a systematic review of the Chinese and English literature

Abstract

Of 3,904 identified records, 23 articles met criteria and provided primary data from 6,110 patients. Suboptimal analgesic use, delays in receiving treatment, reluctance to report pain, and/or poor adherence to prescribed analgesics contributed to the patients' inadequate pain control. Patient-related barriers included fatalism, desire to be good, low pain control belief, pain endurance beliefs, and negative effect beliefs. Patients and family shared barriers about fear of addiction and concerns on analgesic side effects and disease progression. Health professional-related barriers were poor communication, ineffective management of pain, and analgesic side effects. Healthcare system-related barriers included limited access to analgesics and/or after hour pain services and lack of health insurance. Significance of results Chinese cancer patients' misconceptions regarding pain and analgesics may present as the main barriers to optimal pain relief. Findings of this review may inform health interventions to improve cancer pain management outcomes for patients from Chinese backgrounds. Future studies on patients' nonpharmacology intervention-related experiences are required to inform multidisciplinary and biopsychosocial approaches for culturally appropriate pain management.

‘Death is difficult in any language’: A qualitative study of palliative care professionals’ experiences when providing end-of-life care to patients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

“…A recent systematic review of Chinese cancer patient's perceptions of pain identified barriers to sub-optimal use of analgesics. 35 Similar to our study, barriers about fear of addiction and concerns on analgesic side effects were identified. 35 Previous studies have identified the challenges caregivers of Chinese palliative care patients face with unfamiliar hospital food.…”

“…35 Similar to our study, barriers about fear of addiction and concerns on analgesic side effects were identified. 35 Previous studies have identified the challenges caregivers of Chinese palliative care patients face with unfamiliar hospital food. 36,37 Palliative care providers have been urged to 'look beyond the surface to recognise the deeper social, psychological, and emotional aspects that accompany the decision to continue feeding at the end-of-life'.…”

A Systematic Review: Mindfulness Intervention for Cancer-Related Pain

“…Consistent with the theory of unpleasant symptoms, cancer pain is a dynamic, complex, and subjective experience that is influenced by multiple physiological, psychological, and situational factors. Evidence from the study showed that patients with cancer had low pain control (locus of control), pain endurance, and negative effect beliefs,[59] which means they believed that controlling pain was the duty of the physician. [60] Moreover, since pain symptoms in individuals with cancer may convey that other factors may be worsening (e.g., disease progression and new metastases), the emotional response to how the patient interprets the meaning of the pain can ultimately influence pain severity.…”

Adequacy of Cancer-Related Pain Treatments and Factors Affecting Proper Management in Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital, Mekelle, Ethiopia

“…According to previous studies, greater than half of the patients with cancer experience pain from moderate to severe intensity [ 6 , 7 ]. Cancer-related pain (CRP) can be nociceptive pain which comes from the actual damage of nonneural tissues and neuropathic pain which is caused by damage of the somatosensory nervous system [ 3 , 6 , 8 ].…”