Reporting Characteristics of Cancer Pain in Palliative Care Journals
Author Information
Author(s): Kumar Senthil P
Primary Institution: Kasturba Medical College (Manipal University)
Hypothesis
This paper sought to systematically examine the extent to which there is an adequate scientific research base on cancer pain and its reporting characteristics in the palliative care journal literature.
Conclusion
The total percentage of studies on cancer pain in palliative care journals is low at 5.86%, indicating a need for more research in this area.
Supporting Evidence
- Only 5.86% of the 1,569 articles published in the reviewed journals were focused on cancer pain.
- Among the 19 palliative care journals, the highest reporting rate of articles mainly on cancer pain was found in the Journal of Palliative Care at 15.78%.
- CINAHL-indexed, multidisciplinary, and cancer-specific palliative care journals had a higher reporting rate than MEDLINE-indexed, unidisciplinary, and general journals.
Takeaway
Only a small number of articles in palliative care journals talk about cancer pain, which means we need to study it more to help patients better.
Methodology
The study involved a systematic search of MEDLINE and CINAHL for articles published in 19 palliative care journals from 2009 to 2010, focusing on those that included cancer pain in their abstracts.
Potential Biases
Potential publication bias among certain journals could not be studied or commented upon.
Limitations
The study did not perform a qualitative analysis or appraisal of the included articles, focusing instead on the quantity of existing evidence.
Statistical Information
Confidence Interval
95%
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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