Saudi Breast Cancer Women: Barriers Toward Pain Management

Abstract

In Saudi Arabia, cancer is a leading cause of both morbidity and mortality. A patient with advanced breast cancer must deal with the chronic nature of their illness, which presents structural, physiological, psychological, and social challenges. Regardless of the medical environment, appropriate pain assessment and management are critical markers of the quality of pain care and patient satisfaction. Barriers pertaining to medical personnel, patients, the healthcare system, medications, and societal factors can all be responsible for insufficient pain treatment. Objective: Identify barriers associated with pain manageme[1]nt among patients with advanced breast cancer. Setting: The study was conducted at the Makkah hospitals, Saudi Arabia. Subjects: A purposive sample of 115 female patients diagnosed with stage III or stage IV Advanced Breast Cancer (ABC) from the outpatient clinic, was included in the study. Tools: Two tools were used for data collection; Advanced Breast Cancer Pain Management Barriers Structured Interview Schedule (ABCPMIS) and Visual analog scale (VAS). Results: The study implies that patient related barriers and sociocultural barriers are the most prevalent barriers to pain management in advanced breast cancer patients attending the study setting. There were significant statistical differences between levels of barriers experienced and patients’ current status of disease, seeking of medical advice when in pain and their reported VAS levels. Conclusion: Due to societal norms, systemic obstacles in the healthcare systems, and patient characteristics, patients with metastatic breast cancer have a variety of challenges when trying to manage their pain. Recommendation: It is advised that patients with advanced breast cancer receive supportive and clinical pain management programs to lessen their pain.