• Yu-Xiang Li, Jian-Qiang Yu, Lu Tang, Bo Xu, Fang Fang, Hong-Xia Nie, Xiu-Ying Dai, Yue Zhang, Li Li, Ling-Jun Zhou, Wen-Jun Han, Meng-Jie Liu, Jing Cui, Xian-Li Meng, and Ji-Jun Zhao.
• Department of Nursing, Changhai Hospital, China.
• Cancer Nurs. 2013 Jul 1;36(4):326-34.

BackgroundPain is a major problem for patients with advanced cancer and one of the most frequent and disturbing of all cancer-related symptoms. Researchers continue to report that cancer pain remains undertreated. Inadequate pain control can significantly affect the patient's quality of life and may in turn affect the patient's will to live or comply with treatment recommendations. A better understanding of the experience of cancer pain management is important in identifying factors responsible for undertreated pain.ObjectiveThis study aimed to obtain the experience of cancer pain management.InterventionsWe used a phenomenological approach to explore the status of cancer pain management through participants' experience. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 14 family caregivers, patients, and acquaintances and 14 health professionals (nurses and physicians) from a regional tertiary hospital in northwest China. Data were collected by in-depth interviews. We used a qualitative description after full transcription of every interview. Analysis involved the identification of themes and the development of a taxonomy of participants' experience of cancer pain management.ResultsTaxonomy used in this study is to identify, code, group, and name meaning units of the transcribed interviews by reading through repeatedly to obtain an initial sense. Four themes were identified: (1) marginalization, (2) hopelessness and helplessness, (3) deficiency of access and resources, and (4) expectations related to pain.ConclusionFindings from this study suggest that the situation of patients with undertreated cancer pain continues.Implications For PracticeSpecial attention should be paid by policymakers, professionals, and family caregivers to the marginalized group of cancer patients who suffer with pain.

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