Journal of rehabilitation research and development
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Multicenter Study
Fibromyalgia syndrome care of Iraq- and Afghanistan-deployed Veterans in Veterans Health Administration.
Little is known regarding fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) care among Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation New Dawn (OIF/OEF/OND) Veterans. Current recommendations include interdisciplinary, team-based combined care approaches and limited opioid use. In this study of OIF/OEF/OND Veterans who accessed Veterans Health Administration services between 2002 and 2012, we hypothesized that combined care (defined as at least 4 primary care visits/yr with visits to mental health and/or rheumatology) versus <4 primary care visits/yr only would be associated with lower risk of at least 2 opioid prescriptions 12 mo following an FMS diagnosis. ⋯ Also, combined care was associated with at least 2 nonopioid pain-related prescriptions, a practice supported by evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. In tandem, these results provide mixed evidence of benefit of combined care for FMS. Future studies of healthcare encounter characteristics, care coordination, and benefits for Veterans with FMS are needed.
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Veterans are increasingly using complementary and integrative health (CIH) therapies to manage chronic pain and other troubling symptoms that significantly impair health and quality of life. The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is exploring ways to meet the demand for access to CIH, but little is known about Veterans' perceptions of the VA's efforts. To address this knowledge gap, we conducted interviews of 15 inpatients, 8 receiving palliative care, and 15 outpatients receiving CIH in the VA. ⋯ Participants reported that massage was well-received and resulted in decreased pain, increased mobility, and decreased opioid use. Major challenges were the high ratio of patients to CIH providers, the difficulty in receiving CIH from fee-based CIH providers outside of the VA, cost issues, and the role of administrative decisions in the uneven deployment of CIH across the VA. If the VA is to meet its goal of offering personalized, proactive, patient-centered care nationwide then it must receive support from Congress while considering Veterans' goals and concerns to ensure that the expanded provision of CIH improves outcomes.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Opioid use and walking among patients with chronic low back pain.
This study examined the effect of a walking intervention on step counts among patients with chronic back pain who report opioid use. Data were collected as part of a randomized trial to reduce back-pain-related disability. Participants (n = 118 usual care, 111 intervention) were Veterans receiving care within one healthcare system. ⋯ Among nonopioid users, there was no change for those in the intervention (-16 steps) and an increase of about 660 steps for those assigned to usual care (between-group difference = 683 steps, p = 0.17). These data show that patients taking opioids may engage in walking to help manage their back pain. This finding emphasizes the importance of encouraging the use of alternative pain management strategies for these patients.
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Because posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is both prevalent and underrecognized, routine primary care-based screening for PTSD has been implemented across the Veterans Health Administration. PTSD is frequently complicated by the presence of comorbid chronic pain, and patients with both conditions have increased symptom severity and poorer prognosis. Our objective was to determine whether the presence of pain affects diagnosis and treatment of PTSD among Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) patients who have a positive PTSD screening test. ⋯ Outcomes were three clinically appropriate responses to positive PTSD screening: (1) mental health visit, (2) PTSD diagnosis, and (3) new selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) prescription. We found that patients with coexisting pain had a lower rate of mental health visits than those without pain (hazard ratio: 0.889, 95% confidence interval: 0.821-0.962). There were no significant differences in the rate of PTSD diagnosis or new SSRI prescription between patients with and without coexisting pain.
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The improved management of pain among the growing number of female Veterans receiving care through the Veterans Health Administration has been established as a priority, but studies suggest that females may respond differently to pain treatment. This study explored differences between female and male Veterans engaged in a Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program and determined how female and male Veterans change following participation. Veterans (N = 324) in a 3 wk inpatient program completed self-report measures at admission, discharge, and 3 mo follow-up. ⋯ After opioid cessation in the program, however, there were no significant differences in use between the sexes at follow-up. Improvements in a range of domains were sustained at follow-up for both sexes, but females did not maintain gains in pain intensity or sleep while males reported more pain-related fear at discharge and follow-up. This study adds to the literature on sex-specific variations in chronic pain and implications for treatment.