Pain that varies with time, referred to here as episodic pain, is a commonly encountered but under-investigated clinical problem. Previous studies of cancer patients have found that a significant proportion of their pains are episodic. To establish the prevalence and characteristics of episodic pains in hospice in-patients we assessed 245 consecutive admissions to four hospices in Yorkshire. The admitting doctor completed a questionnaire, detailing the characteristics of all pains experienced by the patient in the previous 24 h. Two hundred and forty-two questionnaires were entered into the study. One hundred and thirty-two patients reported pain in the preceding 24 h, of these 93% had at least one episodic pain. In total, 228 pains were described, of which 211 were episodic with a wide variation in their temporal characteristics, intensities and limitation. One hundred and fifty-two episodic pains had a precipitating factor; movement and weight bearing being the most frequent precipitants. One hundred and sixty-eight episodic pains had a relieving factor, medication improving 54%. Ninety-five pains were related to the malignancy and 47 to concurrent illness. The study confirms that episodic pain is extremely common in cancer patients referred for in-patient hospice care and highlights the need for further evaluation of its management.

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