ATTITUDES OF ITALIAN GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS IN THE TREATMENT OF CANCERPAIN

The attitude of Italian general practitioners in prescribing practices for patients with cancer pain was assessed by means of a questionnair e. The results indicated that among most of the doctors who completed the questionnaire the basic principles of pain treatment in cancer pat ients are largely understood. Oral morphine emerged as the most common ly used opioid (60%) and controlled-release morphine as the preferred preparation. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were the most commo nly used minor analgesics. Fear of side effects and restrictive prescr ibing regulations emerged as the most important barrier against adequa te pain management. The survey emphasised the need for continued effor ts in implementing specific educational programming for improvement in cancer pain management.