ArticleSAGE open medicine2019
Healthcare professionals' perceptions on the use of opioid analgesics for the treatment of cancer-related pain in Cyprus: A mixed-method study.
Article in SAGE open medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT04252443 (Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Opioids in Pain Management in North Cyprus), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Nurses' Knowledge and Attitudes Towards Opioids in Pain Management in North Cyprus
Who cites it
11 citing papers in PubMed.
- [Analgesics and supportive care in the last month of life : Retrospective analysis of outpatient prescriptions using BARMER data from patients with oncological diseases (2016-2021)].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2026Article
- The impact of opioid stigma on patient-provider interaction and decision-making in cancer pain management: a qualitative meta-synthesis.BMC palliative care · 2026Article
- Impact of Palliative Care Educational Program on Knowledge and Attitude Regarding Pediatric Palliative Care Among Healthcare Professionals Working in Nepal.Paediatric & neonatal pain · 2026Article
- Article
- The Stigma Surrounding Opioid Use as a Barrier to Cancer-Pain Management: An Overview of Experiences with Fear, Shame, and Poorly Controlled Pain in the Context of Advanced Cancer.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2023Review
- The Pain Management of Trauma Patients in the Emergency Department.Journal of clinical medicine · 2023Review
- Effects of the Co-Administration of Morphine and Lipopolysaccharide on Toll-Like Receptor-4/Nuclear Factor Kappa β Signaling Pathway of MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cells.Advanced biomedical research · 2023Article
- The trend of opioid prescriptions among cancer patients in a tertiary hospital: A multimethod quantitative study.Frontiers in oncology · 2023Article
- [Perceptions on the use of opioids in COVID-19 : A survey of members of the German Association for Palliative Medicine].Schmerz (Berlin, Germany) · 2022Article
- Barriers to cancer pain management from the perspective of patients: A qualitative study.Nursing open · 2022Article
- Pain Management in Oncology Patients Amidst the Opioid Epidemic: How To Minimize Non-Medical Opioid Use.Cureus · 2021Review
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Authors and funding
4 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesPain is considered the most common and debilitating symptom reported by patients affected by cancer, and opioids are at the front line for its effective management. However, the appropriate use of opioids can be limited by healthcare professionals' perceptions on opioids. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore their perceptions on the use of opioids medication.
methodsThis was a study of sequential mixed-method design conducted in Cyprus. As part of the quantitative phase of the study, the Barriers to Opioid Analgesic Availability Test questionnaire was completed by 73 physicians randomly selected. In the qualitative phase, 28 healthcare professionals working in primary and secondary healthcare centers participated in two focus groups. They were asked to express their perceptions on the use of opioid analgesics for the treatment of cancer-related pain. Data were analyzed according to Colaizzis' seven-stage phenomenological analysis.
resultsThe quantitative analysis showed that 69.85% of physicians acknowledge opiophobia as a main barrier to appropriate pain relief but also explicitly for cancer pain which is not adequately managed (45.19%). In terms of opioids availability, physicians stated that moderate to severe problems in opioids availability were mainly caused by their reluctance to prescribe opioids (49.3%) followed by the laws/regulations in place (41.08%). The qualitative analysis yielded the following six main themes: inadequate training of healthcare professionals in the use of opioid analgesics, inadequate patient/caregivers' awareness of opioid analgesics, opiophobia in healthcare professionals, opiophobia of patients/caregivers, poor management of opioid analgesics by healthcare professionals and patients/caregivers, and ineffective pain relief with opioids.
conclusionsThe lack of appropriate education is a significant barrier to opioids use in Cyprus. This is compounded by the attitudes and phobias of both healthcare professionals and the general public. In addition, there are barriers to opioid availability and unsatisfactory cancer pain relief.
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