Adequacy of cancer-related pain management using the Pain Management Index among patients with cancer in the Northwest oncology centres of Ethiopia: an institutional-based cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to assess the adequacy of cancer-related pain (CRP) management and associated factors among patients with cancer in the Northwest oncology centres of Ethiopia.

DESIGN AND SETTING: An institutional-based multicentre cross-sectional study was conducted among patients with cancer in the Northwest oncology centres of Ethiopia from May to July 2022.

PARTICIPANTS: All oncology patients at selected hospitals who fulfilled the inclusion criteria during the data collection period were the study population.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome of this study was the adequacy of CRP management, which was measured by the Pain Management Index (PMI).

A systematic random sampling technique was used to select representatives from each study area.

Data entry and analysis were done using EpiData V.4.6.1 and SPSS V.26, respectively.

Binary logistic regression was conducted to determine independent predictors of the adequacy of CRP management.

A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant.

RESULTS: From a total of 422 included respondents, about 67.5% of the participants had adequate CRP management (95% CI 62.8 to 72).

Good performance status (adjusted OR (AOR)=0.44; 95% CI 0.24 to 0.80), presence of comorbidity (AOR=3.28; 95% CI 1.68 to 6.38) and pain history (AOR=0.33; 95% CI 0.01 to 0.11) were significantly associated with the adequacy of cancer pain management.

CONCLUSION: Using PMI status in the Northwest oncology centre of Ethiopia, more than two-thirds of patients with CRP obtained adequate pain management.

The adequacy of CRP management was found to be influenced by factors like comorbidity, past pain history and Eastern cooperative oncology group performance status.