The Cancer Pain Practice Index: A Measure of Evidence-Based Practice Adherence for Cancer Pain Management in Older Adults in Hospice Care

Synopsis:

Abstract:  Various clinical practice guidelines addressing pain assessment and management have been available for several years that pertain, at least to some extent, to older patients with cancer. Nonetheless, systematic evaluations or methodologically sound studies of adherence to pain management practice guidelines within Medicare-certified hospice programs are lacking. As part of a larger translating-research-into-practice pain improvement study involving older patients with cancer in hospice programs, we recognized the need to create a valid and reliable tool that can facilitate critical evaluation of hospice medical records for nurse and physician adherence to pain management guidelines to create a consolidated score for comparative and quality improvement purposes. We report the process used to create this tool, named the Cancer Pain Practice Index, and a guide to its use.

Source:

Journal of Pain and Symptom Management

Vol/Page/Date:

Volume 39, Issue 5, Pages 791-802 (May 2010)

Resource Type:

Journal Article

Author/Source:

Perry Fine, MD et al