Brief DVD-based educational intervention for patients with cancer pain: feasibility study

Patient attitudes and knowledge regarding cancer pain and strong opioid analgesia can sometimes be a barrier to good pain control. Educational interventions that address these barriers are effective in oncology outpatients but have not been evaluated in patients with more advanced disease. We assessed the feasibility of a randomized, controlled clinical trial evaluating a brief DVD-based educational intervention for cancer pain in palliative care patients. Participants were shown DVD at baseline (V1) and at 1 week (V2). Outcomes were assessed using Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and Patient Pain Questionnaire (PPQ) before intervention, and at V2 and V3 (4 weeks later). Fifteen patients and 10 carers were recruited. Between V1 and V2, total BPI and PPQ scores improved significantly by 9.6% (p = 0.02) and 17% (p = 0.04) respectively with no further improvements at V3. Our findings suggest that this intervention is feasible and potentially effective between 7–30 days follow up. A multicentre clinical trial is now needed to evaluate this intervention further.