This article describes the patterns of use of pain medicines of HIV-infected patients during last months of life in an HIV university-affiliated outpatient clinic.

We retrospectively reviewed our databases and identified patients who died over the last 12 months in our clinic. Demographic, clinical, and laboratory information were abstracted.

A total of 41 patients died in our HIV outpatient clinic in a period of 12 months. Opioid analgesics were prescribed for 21 (51%) patients, with 10 (48%) of these patients prescribed short-acting opioid analgesics alone, In all, 11 patients (52%) were on a short-acting and long-acting opioid combination, and 30 (73%) patients experienced pain that was not adequately controlled.

Pain control during the last months of life for this population appears to be suboptimal. Better strategies are needed.