Hospice effectiveness in controlling pain

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Abstract
Terminal cancer patients were randomly assigned to receive comprehensive hospice care or traditional medical care. Patients were followed up for 2 yr or until death. Pain was measured by the McGill Pain Scale. Frequency and intensity of cancer-related symptoms were also noted. Over the course of the study, 34% of hospice patients and 21% of control patients never reported pain. No significant differences between the 2 groups were detected in the proportion of patients with pain at any time or the intensity of pain. Neither were there differences in the intensity or frequency of cancer-related symptoms. The presence of pain was associated with the presence of other symptoms; a significant correlation was found between the levels of depression and anxiety and pain scores.