Barriers for Nurses Providing Cancer Pain Management: A Qualitative Systematic Review

PROBLEM IDENTIFICATION: Improperly managed pain can negatively affect physical and mental health, quality of life, and functional status of individuals with cancer. To address nurses' experiences with and barriers to providing cancer pain management, a systematic review was conducted. LITERATURE SEARCH: PubMed (R), Embase (R), Web of Science, CINAHL (R), Cochrane Library, CNKI, VIP Chinese Science and Technology Periodicals Full-Text Database, Wanfang, and SINOMED databases were searched for articles published from database inception through August 2022. DATA EVALUATION: Two researchers independently evaluated the studies' quality, and meta-integration was performed using thematic synthesis. Eighteen qualitative studies, including 277 nurses from 11 different countries, were included in the review. SYNTHESIS: The following three themes regarding nurses' barriers to providing cancer pain management were identified: (a) healthcare professional-related barriers, (b) patient-related barriers, and (c) organizational-related barriers. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: This systematic review provides an evidence-based reference for nurses to manage pain among individuals with cancer and develop appropriate interventions.