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Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 6/2012

01-12-2012 | Original Paper

Assessment of Pain and Analgesic Use in African American Cancer Patients: Factors Related to Adherence to Analgesics

Authors: Young O. Rhee, Eugenia Kim, Bryant Kim

Published in: Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health | Issue 6/2012

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Abstract

This study describes pain experience, analgesic use and barriers to pain control in African American cancer patients (N = 116). The overall adherence rate of analgesics was 46%. Constipation and nausea were the most commonly cited side effects of analgesics. Eighty-seven percent of patients reported concern about addiction to analgesics. Patients who believed their doctor needed to focus on curing illness rather than on controlling pain tended to comply with analgesic prescriptions (r = 0.20, p < 0.05). Patients with concerns that analgesics may cause confusion were less likely to take any type of analgesics (r = −0.16, p < 0.05). The study confirms that a patient’s perceived barriers influence their decision to take analgesics, and also suggests that African American cancer patients may benefit from education that prevents misconceptions about analgesic use.
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Metadata
Title
Assessment of Pain and Analgesic Use in African American Cancer Patients: Factors Related to Adherence to Analgesics
Authors
Young O. Rhee
Eugenia Kim
Bryant Kim
Publication date
01-12-2012
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health / Issue 6/2012
Print ISSN: 1557-1912
Electronic ISSN: 1557-1920
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10903-012-9582-x

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