• Tone Rustøen, Berit Taraldsen Valeberg, Eva Kolstad, Erik Wist, Steven Paul, and Christine Miaskowski.
• Department of Research and Development, Oslo University Hospital, Ullevål, Oslo, Norway. tone.rustoen@rr-research.no
• J Pain Symptom Manage. 2012 Sep 1;44(3):321-30.

ContextInadequate knowledge is one barrier to effective cancer pain management.ObjectivesThis study's aim was to evaluate the effects of a psychoeducational intervention (the Norwegian version of the PRO-SELF(©) Pain Control Program) compared with a control group in increasing patients' knowledge of cancer pain management.MethodsAdult oncology outpatients with pain from bone metastasis of 2.5 or greater on a 0 to 10 numeric rating scale were randomized into the PRO-SELF (n=87) or control (n=92) groups. Patients completed a demographic questionnaire and the Pain Experience Scale (PES) at the beginning and end of the study to assess their knowledge and attitudes. The six-week intervention consisted of education, skills building, and nurse coaching. Mixed-model analyses with tests of a group×time interaction were done for each of the individual items and total PES scores to evaluate between-group differences in changes in knowledge over time.ResultsExcept for functional status, no differences were found between the PRO-SELF and control groups on any baseline demographic, clinical, or pain characteristics. Significant group×time interactions were found for all the single item and total PES scores. Compared with the control group, patients in the PRO-SELF group had significant increases in knowledge scores.ConclusionThe use of a knowledge and attitude survey, like the PES, as part of a psychoeducational intervention provides an effective foundation for patient education in cancer pain management. This individualized approach to education about pain management may save staff time and improve patient outcomes.Copyright © 2012 U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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