Pain Management Strategies Among Cervical Cancer Patients In Zimbabwe

Aim: To describe pain management regulations, prevalence of pain and pain management practices in a Zimbabwean setting. Materials & methods: A multi-methods approach was used, consisting of: policy and guideline review; review of 410 cervical cancer patient records for pain symptoms and pain management data; and semistructured interviews with oncology healthcare practitioners. Results: We found a lack of policies that are specific for cervical cancer pain management. Although prevalence of pain was 68% (n = 278), only 42% of the patient records indicated pain drugs had been prescribed. Barriers to pain management included inadequate use of pain assessment tools, inaccessibility of key drugs and limited capacity. Conclusion: Cancer pain management in Zimbabwe can be improved by tailoring assessment protocols, improving drug accessibility and strengthening healthcare systems.Lay abstract: Although cancer pain has potential life-altering impact, it is not well studied in developing countries. This study aims to report on cancer pain management in Zimbabwe by reviewing policies of pain management, patient records for prevalence and assessing the practices of cancer pain management, using 410 cervical cancer patients as a model. In total, 278 (68%) cancer patients presented with pain, yet only 42% of patient records had documented prescribed pain management. We report that these findings can be consequences of restrictive policies, inadequate patient pain assessment, inaccessible pain drugs, unrecorded prescriptions and limitations of resources in the facility. Our study is important because it identifies gaps that can be addressed to improve care for cancer patients in resource-limited settings.