ASPO Abstracts
It’s a prescription, not an addictionâ€: Exploring health care provider and advocate perceptions of opioid use among cancer survivors
Category: Behavioral Science & Health Communication
Conference Year: 2019
Abstract Body:
Purpose. Opioids can be of great benefit for cancer survivors who suffer from cancer-related pain. However, the risk of opioid misuse is a growing concern for this population. We aimed to understand health care providers and cancer survivor advocates perceptions of and experiences with opioid use among cancer patients.Methods. Providers (n=30) who work with cancer survivors and survivor advocates (n=10) completed an interview via telephone or in-person where they were asked questions focused on: perceptions of physician prescribing practices, perceptions of opioid use among cancer patients, alternative methods recommended for pain management, and barriers to pain management. Inductive applied thematic analysis was employed in order to identify common themes. Results. Providers/advocates felt that cancer survivors are prescribed opioids more liberally because of their status as a cancer patient and many believe patients may not view opioids as addicting, because they are prescribed by a physician. However, some expressed concern that survivors may be vulnerable to addiction, as very little information/education about the medication is given to patients (i.e., side effects, how to take). Prescription of opioids was informed by the patient’s cancer type/stage, treatment, and surgery. Participants expressed lack of: education, patient-provider relationship, and cost of non-opioid medications/alternatives as barriers to pain management. They also indicated that patient emotional state (i.e., high anxiety) can often influence their desire to take opioids. In contrast, some participants felt that patients’ fear of becoming addicted influences their use/non-use of opioids for managing cancer related pain. Conclusions. Providers may have limited training on opioid prescription and counseling/education and may not view addiction as a potential problem. Results can inform future provider-focused interventions and could emphasize components such as alternative pain management methods, assessing risks of developing opioid use disorders through validated screening tools, and techniques for improving communication/engagement with patients on topics such as opioid use, pain management, and coping methods to deal with cancer-related pain during and after cancer treatment.
Keywords: health care provider, opioid use, cancer survivor