A study of pain self-management application in patients with cancer pain

Objective To investigate the use of a pain self-management application for patients with cancer pain. Methods A total of 80 patients with cancer pain were enrolled, who were admitted into Department of Oncology and Department of Pain in the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from November 2018 to October 2019. They were divided into two groups (n=40): an intervention group and a control group. Both groups received routine nursing care during hospitalization and guidance at discharge. Furthermore, patients in the intervention group performed pain management in a personalized way where a pain self-management application was used. Results After 12 weeks of use, the intervention group presented remarkably lower pain scores and higher self-efficacy scores than the control group (P<0.05). Statistical difference was found in the scores of quality of life between the intervention group and the control group, except nausea and vomiting, insomnia, diarrhea and economic difficulties (P<0.05). Conclusions The use of the pain self-management application can effectively alleviate pain condition and improve pain self-efficacy and quality of life.