Patients link morphine with death
Cancer patients interpret the offer of morphine for pain relief as a signal that the health professional caring for them believes they are dying, a UK study suggests. This, in turn, can lead to refusal of pain relief and a reduction in patients’ quality of life.
Colette Reid, consultant in palliative medicine at Gloucester Royal Hospital
and lead author of the study, said: “If we are to employ the range
of available opioids in order to successfully manage pain caused by cancer,
we must ensure that morphine does not remain inextricably linked with
death.”
She added: “If this connection stays in place then morphine will
continue to be viewed as a comfort measure for the dying rather than
a means of pain control for the living.”
The researchers interviewed 18 patients with metastatic cancer to examine
how they reacted when first offered an opioid drug described as similar
to morphine.
The interviews revealed the importance of the role of health professionals
in cancer pain management. Patients were happier to accept pain relief
with an opioid if the professional showed confidence in the treatment.
The researchers suggest, too, that some patients may be frightened when
offered a choice, since this indicates a lack of confidence. How beliefs
about opioids are communicated to relatives may also have implications
for the pain relief of others in the future, they add (Annals of
Oncology 11
December 2007).
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