Relationship between Adherence to Opioid Analgesics and Pain in Patients with Cancer

Background: Adherence to drug treatment means taking drugs, following a diet, or implementing changes in lifestyle in accordance with the programs recommended by healthcare workers. Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study included 530 cancer patients referred to Tehran medical centers, clinics, and private practices. If the cancer patients could read and write as well as understand the questions in the questionnaire, all the questionnaires were completed by the patients in a self-reported form. Otherwise, the researchers completed the questionnaire by interviewing the patients. The tools used include the Medication Compliance Questionnaire (MCQ) and the Pain and Opioid Analgesic Beliefs Cancer Scale (POABS-CA). We analyzed the data from this study using SPSS version 16 software. Results: The result indicated that the M(SD) score of the MCQ scale was equal to 30.72 (8.03) and the POABS-CA score was equal to 18.58 (8.40). Furthermore, the score of adherences to drug treatment was higher in people with an age less than 45 years, with male gender, diploma and sub-diploma education, and this difference was statistically significant (p<0.05). Patients who held more positive beliefs demonstrated a higher level of drug treatment compliance. Conclusion: Considering that the obtained score related to compliance with drug treatment was not at a high level, it is necessary to carry out necessary interventions in this field.