A survey on physician knowledge and attitudes towards clinical use of morphine for cancer pain treatment in China.

BACKGROUND

The WHO's three-step guideline for cancer pain management has been introduced in China; however, there remain large differences in the standards of cancer pain management between China and other developed countries. This survey was carried out to determine the degree of physician knowledge on morphine use and the factors that impede morphine use in clinical practice in China.

METHODS

A self-reported questionnaire was designed and administered to randomly selected physicians in four tertiary hospitals in the cities of Changchun and Changsha in China. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS statistical software.

RESULTS

Two hundred and one clinical physicians participated in the survey. Physicians who reported having received training in cancer pain management and drug use demonstrated a significantly higher mean score of basic knowledge compared to physicians who reported not having received training (9.31 ± 2.88:8.23 ± 2.70, u = 2.74, p < 0.001). The top three cited impediments to widespread clinical use of morphine for cancer pain were: (1) lack of professional knowledge and training; (2) fear of opioid addiction; and (3) physicians' personal preferences to select other drugs.

CONCLUSIONS

Medical staffs lack the basic knowledge and harbor misconceptions about the clinical use of morphine for cancer pain treatment. Creating training opportunities for medical staffs is necessary to increase their awareness and knowledge of effective cancer pain management.