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Hindi Research Article
Collaborative Efforts May Improve Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Management in Asia: Findings from a Ten-Country Regional Survey
| Chi Wai Cheung1*, Chee Yong Choo2, Yong-Chul Kim3, Feng Sheng Lin4, Seong-Hwan Moon5, Evelyn Osio-Salido6, Sheng-Fa Pan7, Vivek Ajit Singh8, Seung-Hwan Yoon9, Lois Ward10, Hanlim Moon11 and Abhishek Bhagat11 | |
| 1Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong | |
| 2Novena Pain Management Centre, Mount Elizabeth Novena Hospital, Singapore | |
| 3Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seoul National University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea | |
| 4Department of Anesthesiology, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan | |
| 5Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea | |
| 6Department of Medicine, University of the Philippines - Philippine General Hospital, Manila, Philippines | |
| 7Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China | |
| 8University Malaya Medical Center, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | |
| 9Department of Neurosurgery, Inha University Hospital, Incheon, Republic of Korea | |
| 10Mundipharma Research Ltd, Cambridge, UK | |
| 11Mundipharma Pte Ltd, Singapore | |
| Corresponding Author : | Cheung CW Department of Anesthesiology The University of Hong Kong 4th Floor, K Block Queen Mary Hospital 102 Pokfulam Road Pokfulam, Hong Kong Tel: 852-2255-3303 Fax: (852)2855-1654 E-mail: cheucw@hku.hk |
| Received November 17, 2015; Accepted January 20, 2016; Published January 22, 2016 | |
| Citation: Cheung CW, Choo CY, Kim YC, Lin FS, Moon SH, et al. (2016) Collaborative Efforts May Improve Chronic Non-Cancer Pain Management in Asia: Findings from a Ten-Country Regional Survey. J Pain Relief 5:225.doi:10.4172/2187-0846.1000225 | |
| Copyright: © 2016 Cheung CW, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. | |
Abstract
Background: The objective of the ACHEON survey was to investigate current practices in chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) management in Asia, with a focus on opioid use.
Methods: A questionnaire-based survey conducted in 10 Asian countries/regions was answered by 695 physicians managing pain (median experience: 15 years) and 1,305 patients experiencing CNCP within the preceding 3 months.
Results: Overall, 89.3% of patients reported experiencing moderate-to-severe pain (median pain duration of 24 months). Continuing pain management education of ≤10 hours was reported by 71.1% of the physicians. While approximately 80% of physicians reported quantifying pain in practice, 65.0% of patients reported that no scale was used for their pain assessment. A significant proportion of physicians (78%) perceived discordance between their patients’ actual pain level and their own evaluation. Opioids were considered necessary for CNCP management by 63.6% of physicians. However, while non-opioid oral medication was prescribed to 66.8% of patients, only 4.4% of patients were prescribed opioids. CNCP was reported to affect activities of daily living for 80.8% of patients. Physicianperceived barriers to optimal therapy included patients’ reluctance to use opioids owing to fear of adverse effects (65.0%) and addiction (64.9%), while physicians’ reluctance to prescribe opioids (63.7%) was partially attributable to inadequate pain assessment (60.9%) and excessive regulation of opioids (57.3%).
Conclusion: While the majority of patients surveyed reported moderate-to-severe CNCP, opioid use was suboptimal. Physician and patient education to address stigmas associated with opioid use may improve pain management practices in these countries.
