Prevost, V., Delorme, C., Grach, M.C., Chvetzoff, G., & Hureau, M. (2016). Therapeutic education in improving cancer pain management: A synthesis of available studies. American Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care, 33, 599–612.

STUDY PURPOSE: Literature review with goals to synthesize current studies and update findings in order to obtain a current, comprehensive estimate of the benefits of pain education.

TYPE OF STUDY: Systematic review

DATABASES USED: PubMed

YEARS INCLUDED: 1987 to March 2014

INCLUSION CRITERIA: Keywords: cancer AND pain AND patient AND education. MeSH terms: pain, pain management, patient education as topic, self-care methods, health knowledge, attitudes, practice, and neoplasms. 

EXCLUSION CRITERIA: No specific exclusion criteria.

TOTAL REFERENCES RETRIEVED: 37

EVALUATION METHOD AND COMMENTS ON LITERATURE USED: Criteria used to evaluate: Pain experience, patient satisfaction, and patients’ communication skills and decision making.

FINAL NUMBER STUDIES INCLUDED: 44

TOTAL PATIENTS INCLUDED IN REVIEW: 6,308

SAMPLE RANGE ACROSS STUDIES: 30-970

KEY SAMPLE CHARACTERISTICS: Patients with cancer

PHASE OF CARE: Multiple phases of care

Pain experience: 85% of the studies reported that PEP (Pain Education Programs) significantly improved knowledge and beliefs, 52% of studies showed a statistically significant reduction in pain intensity when using PEP, but none of the studies (except one) showed that the intervention had any clear benefits on QOL.

Patient satisfaction: 90% of patients believed that PEP was helpful and 78% said that PEP made them more involved in pain management. 

Patients’ communication skills and decision making: Communication with clinicians was the most frequently developed behavior, and those patients who scored higher in active communication reported better pain relief and fewer barriers to pain management.

Research indicates a growing interest in therapeutic education of patients with cancer pain. PEP objectives have shifted from a focus on improving patients’ knowledge about pain management to enhancing their communication skills and attitudes. Additional research is warranted to better evaluate PEP effectiveness.

• Limited search
• No quality evaluation
• High heterogeneity
• Only English or French

PEP has been proven to increase patient knowledge of pain management, so it would be wise to increase training for nurses to conduct these interventions properly.