Pain Management in Children with Cancer: National Surveys of Practices and Perceptions in Morocco

AIM: The aim of the study was to improve the quality of pain management in Moroccan pediatric oncology units, the Moroccan Society of Paediatric Haematology/Oncology initiated a national quality improvement project in 2014 with the support of the Lalla Salma Foundation for Prevention and Treatment of Cancer. METHODS: To assess the current situation of pain management in Moroccan pediatric oncology patients, two cross-sectional surveys were conducted, involving patient/parental proxies and health-care providers’. RESULTS: The first survey concerned 108 care providers from five institutions. The second survey covered 155 children with cancer from the five Moroccan pediatric oncology units. Among them, 145 reported suffering from pain, which patients/families attributed to the underlying cancer (n = 85), to procedures and treatment (n = 46), or to both the cancer and procedures/treatment (n = 19). Procedural pain was mainly related to lumbar puncture and bone marrow aspirate. The majority of patients/parents reported that pain negatively impacted their emotional, physical, and social functioning. The majority of parents requested further information and communication about pain management. CONCLUSION: Both health-care providers and families of children with cancer in Morocco report need for pain management improvement, including in institutional and educational practices. This current baseline data have informed the development of our ongoing project including continuing education, training, and practice policies development