ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Oncol.
Sec. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention
Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1542227
Audit on Cancer Pain Management among Adult Cancer Patients at the University of Gondar Comprehensive and Specialized Hospital, Northwest Ethiopia
Provisionally accepted
Temesgen Birlie Asmare1*
Hailu Yimer Tawuye2
Biresaw Tegegne2
Negesse Zurabachew Gobezie1Habtie Bantider Wubet1
Gezahagn Demsu Gedefaw2
Molla Amsalu3
Biruk Adie Admass2- 1Debre Tabor University, Gondar, Ethiopia
- 2University of Gondar, Gondar, Amhara, Ethiopia
- 3Debre Berhan University, Debre Berhan, Amhara, Ethiopia
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Cancer is one of the leading causes of death globally, with an estimated 19.3 million new cancer cases and nearly 10.0 million cancer deaths occurring in 2020. Pain is common among cancer patients, particularly in the advanced stages of the disease, where the prevalence is estimated to exceed 70%. In our setting, the prevalence of cancer pain is high (59.9%), making the study of cancer pain management essential for identifying specific gaps in current practices. This research aims to enhance the quality of pain management and improve patient care and safety in accordance with ESMO cancer pain management guidelines.A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted from July 2 to August 1, 2024.All consecutive adult patients in the oncology ward during this period were included. Data were collected according to European Society of Medical Oncology guideline standards through direct observation, chart review, and interviews. The data were then entered into EpiData version 4.6 and exported to Stata version 17 for analysis.The study involved 171 patients, of whom 96 (56.14%) were female. The overall compliance rate for oncologic pain management, according to the European Society of Medical Oncology guidelines, was 5455.46%. Participants' ages ranged from 23 to 85 years, with a mean age of 51.2 years. The severity of pain and treatment outcomes were assessed regularly and consistently using the NRS for all 171 patients (100%). However, the subcutaneous route was considered the first-choice alternative for only 62 patients (3.511.16%) who were unable to receive opioids via the oral route.In our study, overall compliance with adult oncologic pain management guidelines was found to be suboptimal. We recommend establishing a regular training program for healthcare professionals focusing on oncologic pain management.
Keywords: oncology, Cancer, Pain, Pain Management, Adult
Received: 09 Dec 2024; Accepted: 07 Apr 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Asmare, Tawuye, Tegegne, Gobezie, Wubet, Gedefaw, Amsalu and Admass. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Temesgen Birlie Asmare, Debre Tabor University, Gondar, Ethiopia
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