Introduction: National Guidelines for the management of cancer pain (SIGN 44) provide evidence based recommendations for prescribing practice.Hospital Palliative Care Teams provide an advisory service in the acute setting. Effectiveness of this service is difficult to measure.
Aim of study: To determine if there is any measureable improvement in prescribing practice in the management of cancer pain using standards derived from SIGN 44 following documented referral and advice from the HPCT.
Method: Prospective study of patients referred to the HPCT in a District General Hospital. Data collected: demographic, 24 hour opioid requirements (MEDD) compliance/violation with 12 standards derived from SIGN 44 on initial referral and after 3 days of HPCT involvement, intensity of HPCT reviews and advice given.
Results: 50 patients, On second review there was an improvement in compliance with SIGN 44 indicating that prescribing practice had improved. This relates to specific advice from the HPCT Specifically there is an increase in the use of a systematic pain assessment tool and appropriate prescription of immediate release oral morphine.
Conclusion: Prescribing practice has improved for this group of patients following referral to the HPCT.This is correlated with documentation of advice regarding pain control and suggests that the HPCT has been effective in influencing and improving standards of prescribing.