Indian journal of palliative care
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Indian J Palliat Care · Jun 2020
Opioid Dispensing Patterns from a Tertiary Care Cancer Hospital during the Nationwide Lockdown in COVID-19 Pandemic.
During the current COVID-19 crisis, striking a balance between adequate pain relief in advanced malignancy patients and avoiding hospitals due to fear of contracting the infection has been the biggest challenge for patients as well as palliative care physicians. This study explored the trends in opioid dispensing for cancer pain before and during the lockdown. ⋯ Despite the lockdown, the palliative care team at Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital has continued to provide adequate pain relief to patients that could manage to reach the center. Policy-makers need to be cognizant of the pain relief needs of cancer patients in times when accessing hospitals is becoming increasingly difficult. Cancer-related pain and mortality could well be the next pandemic once the current COVID-19 begins to reduce.