Effectiveness of the Digital Multimedia Health Education in Improving Cancer Pain, Analgesic Adherence, and Pain Control Satisfaction With Cancer Patient

Effectiveness of the Digital Multimedia Health Education in Improving Cancer Pain, Analgesic Adherence, and Pain Control Satisfaction With Cancer Patient

According to the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage . Despite advances in precision medicine, pain remains a common complaint among cancer patients, with 44.5% reporting pain and a 30.6% prevalence of moderate to severe pain. In Taiwan, over half of cancer patients experience pain in the week leading up to their outpatient visit, with 54% of oncology outpatients reporting pain issues. Of these, only 58% receive analgesics, with more medications given to those with worsening conditions. Pain significantly affects sleep, and over 50% of patients feel pain despite analgesic control. Research indicates that Asian patients often view cancer negatively, avoiding discussions about their condition, which normalizes their pain and potentially worsens it.

Enhancing patient self-efficacy can increase satisfaction with pain management, and it is recommended that healthcare professionals develop interventions to improve pain management satisfaction. Self-management interventions have shown effectiveness in improving pain-related knowledge and quality of life. These interventions can encompass patient attitudes and knowledge, with guidance and consultation from nurses reinforcing information about pain management and medication adherence.

In clinical settings, nurses may be too busy to provide comprehensive and consistent health education, leading to insufficient patient understanding of medications. Digital multimedia health education tools, which use visual aids, can better capture patients' attention and facilitate unrestricted learning regardless of time or place, leading to improved learning outcomes.

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of "digital multimedia" in reducing pain, enhancing medication adherence, and improving pain control satisfaction among patients. The goal is to overcome the limitations of busy healthcare providers, allowing patients to learn independently, understand pain and analgesic use, dispel myths about pain medications, and enhance pain control, ultimately improving self-care capabilities, pain control satisfaction, and quality of life.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adults aged over 18 years.
• Diagnosed with a solid tumor and reporting a pain score of 4 or higher.
• Patients using prescribed strong opioid medications for pain management.
• Conscious, capable of communicating in Mandarin, understanding Mandarin, or -Able to write in text.
• Able to operate electronic devices (e.g., smartphones, tablets, or computers) independently, or with assistance from family members or caregivers.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patients with visual or auditory impairments.
• Patients with cognitive impairments.
• Diagnosed by a physician as having substance addiction (addictive substances include central nervous system depressants: opioids, heroin, ketamine; central nervous system stimulants: amphetamines, ecstasy, cocaine; and central nervous system hallucinogens: cannabis).