Knowledge, Attitudes, And Practices Towards Cancer Pain Management Amongst Healthcare Workers (Physicians, Pharmacists, And Nurses): A Cross-Sectional Study From First-Tier Cities in China

Purpose: China is currently one of the countries with the largest increased number of new cancer cases in the world, but cancer pain management (CPM) is still inadequate. This study, through a questionnaire designed to show the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) status and differences towards CPM among healthcare workers (HCWs) in developed areas of China and explore areas and advantages of the role of pharmacists and mobile devices. Methods: This study used data from a questionnaire on CPM from March to June 2019. The study population consisted of a total of 515 HCWs in four first-tier developed cities in China. The questionnaire has four major components, analysis of differences in KAP of different occupations through one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: Among the respondents, the physicians had the highest knowledge scores towards CPM, pharmacists had the lowest practice scores. Around half of the respondents indicated that their hospital or department have a pharmacist participating in CPM. Physicians, and nurses were more likely to expect pharmacists to provide drug counseling. The HCWs interviewed most expect that the mobile-based pain management system can automatically screen and mark patients with pain. Conclusion: From this study, it can be suggested that pharmacists and nurses in the CPM team should actively promote relevant knowledge. Besides, pharmacists should focus on improving practical ability such as increasing the frequency of pain assessment. Multidisciplinary collaboration and the introduction of mobile devices can improve and refine the CPM.