Treatment of Pain in the Cancer Patient: The Role of the Nurse

Abstract

Nurses often say that because prescribing drugs is a medical responsibility the role of the nurse in the treatment of pain in the cancer patient is limited. However, it can be asserted (a) that pharmacological management alone does not constitute the sum total of pain control and (b) that effective pharmacological management is not only a matter of good prescribing. The intention of this chapter is to illustrate the necessity of a broad concept of pain management and to highlight in particular the role of the nurse in the treatment of cancer pain.