Strong painkillers increasingly used in treatment of elderly patients
Pain patch stronger than morphine
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Family members of elderly patients in institutional care have noticed that their loved ones are increasingly being given pain killers that are more powerful than morphine.
The use of opioid pain killers has more than doubled at Finnish hospitals in ten years. Now a pain killer patch has been used which is increasingly putting patients in a semi-conscious state.
"Geriatric patients are often treated with a pain killer patch", says Professor Eija Kalso, an expert in pain treatment and pain research at the University of Helsinki.
While the patch is effective and convenient, there are frequent reports of excesses, says Professor Sirkka-Liisa Kivelä of the University of Turku Medical School.
"Doctors have been trained in the treatment of cancer-related pain in terminal patients. The pain of osteoporosis in a patient 100 years old is treated in the same way, although elderly patients can withstand less of the medication than someone of working age", she says.
Opioids are effective pain medicines for geriatric patients, but getting the right dosage is difficult, because the needs of individual patients vary considerably.
Kalso says that not all doctors and nurses necessarily recognise the patches as stronger pain medicines than morphine, seeing them more in line with nicotine patches.
"The thought has come to mind, whether or not this is a question of saving personnel resources."
The pain patch was originally developed for cancer patients who were unable to take medication orally. Its use has spread since then to the treatment of other types of pain.
"Extremely careful consideration needs to be paid to whom the patch is tried on, because it is difficult to stop treatment once it is started", Kalso points out. "The danger is that the patch is used to treat those for whom it is more harmful."
The medicine in the patch is gradually absorbed through the skin, taking full effect in three days. Nausea and fatigue are not necessarily recognised as side effects by hospital staff.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 31.10.2007 - TODAY |
 Strong painkillers increasingly used in treatment of elderly patients |
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