Zhou, L., Liu, X.L., Tan, J.Y., Yu, H.P., Pratt, J., & Peng, Y.Q. (2015). Nurse‐led educational interventions on cancer pain outcomes for oncology outpatients: A systematic review. International Nursing Review, 62, 218–230.

Purpose

STUDY PURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of nurse-led education interventions on pain outcomes
 
TYPE OF STUDY: Meta-analysis and systematic review

Search Strategy

DATABASES USED: CINAHL, MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, and Proquest
 
KEYWORDS: Health education, education, psychoeducation, management, intervention, program, and cancer
 
INCLUSION CRITERIA: Randomized, controlled trials or quasi-experimental studies using any kind of educational intervention led by nurses for adult outpatients with cancer who were experiencing cancer-related pain with standard or usual care as comparator
 
EXCLUSION CRITERIA: Not specified

Literature Evaluated

TOTAL REFERENCES RETRIEVED: 1,093
 
EVALUATION METHOD AND COMMENTS ON LITERATURE USED: Johanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Systematic Reviews and Research

Sample Characteristics

  • FINAL NUMBER STUDIES INCLUDED = 6 
  • TOTAL PATIENTS INCLUDED IN REVIEW = 78
  • SAMPLE RANGE ACROSS STUDIES: 74–227 patients

Phase of Care and Clinical Applications

APPLICATIONS: Palliative care

Results

Four studies included reported pain intensity, and the meta-analysis did not show a significant impact on pain intensity. Two of the four studies looking at patient attitudes showed decreased patient barriers to analgesic use. The studies reported improved patient knowledge.

Conclusions

Nurse-led psychoeducational interventions improved patient knowledge for pain management, reduced barriers to analgesic use, and may have reduced pain intensity.

Limitations

  • High heterogeneity
  • Very few studies included in the review

Nursing Implications

This review did not add substantially to the current body of evidence regarding the effects of psychoeducational interventions on pain management. It did show that psychoeducational interventions can be beneficial in improving patient knowledge, reducing patient barriers to analgesic use, and possibly reducing pain intensity.

Legacy ID

5565