The Clinical journal of pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Is the effect of inguinal field block with 0.5% bupivacaine on postoperative pain after hernia repair enhanced by addition of ketorolac or S(+) ketamine?
The aim of the study was to assess whether coadministration of S(+) ketamine or ketorolac would enhance or prolong local analgesic effect of bupivacaine after inguinal hernia repair. ⋯ The addition of S(+)-ketamine or ketorolac only minimally improves the analgesic effect of bupivacaine. This may be related to the tension-free hernia repair technique associated with low postoperative pain.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The utility of somatic items in the assessment of depression in patients with chronic pain: a comparison of the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale and the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales in chronic pain and clinical and community samples.
To investigate the role of somatic items in the assessment of depression in chronic pain. ⋯ It was concluded that depression measures that give emphasis to somatic symptoms provide poor measures of depression severity in any individuals and in patients with chronic pain may lead to an overestimation of the severity of depression. More recently developed instruments avoid these limitations and are also better able to discriminate depression from related states such as anxiety and tension/stress.
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The aim of this paper is to acquaint pain researchers and practitioners with recent developments in the single-case experimental approach and their potential to allow for tailoring the treatment and its evaluation to the specific complaints, aptitudes, or profile of the individual patient, without violating the canons of good science and practice. After contrasting the single-case experimental approach and the case-study approach, we show the possibilities of customization in design, measurement, and test statistics. ⋯ With our emphasis on: 1) randomization in the design; 2) the possibilities for a statistical test (together with the determination of power and the calculation of effect sizes); 3) the importance of reliable and valid measurement; and 4) the role of replication, we demonstrate how internal validity, statistical-conclusion validity, construct validity, and external validity concerns can be dealt with within a single-case experimental approach framework. Finally, the many research examples and references to clinical work illustrate the usefulness of the approach.
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No previous study has adequately demonstrated the test-retest reliability of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire, yet it is increasingly being used as a measure of pain. This study evaluates the test-retest reliability in patients with osteoarthritis. ⋯ Problems of adequate completion of the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire were highlighted in this sample, and supervision via telephone contact was required. Patients recruited in clinic who had practiced completing the Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire demonstrated fewer errors than those recruited by mail. The Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire was demonstrated to be a highly reliable measure of pain. These results should not be generalized to a more elderly population, as increasing age was correlated with greater variability of the sensory component scores.
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In attempts to decrease chronic pain and the negative impact of chronic pain on broader functioning, patients can be stimulated to adopt self-management skills. However, not all patients are motivated to do so. Insight into the causes of motivation and the process of behavior change could increase the practitioners' effectiveness in stimulating patients to use self-management skills. ⋯ The present article reviews the 8 available publications in which the stages of change construct is studied in patients with chronic pain. The results show that the theory of the stages of change needs more articulation, that the operationalization should be more directly derived from the theory, and that the results from more appropriate tests of the theory should be used to change the theory when necessary to develop it. Recommendations are made with regard to the theory, the operationalizations, and the tests to be conducted to develop the theory and assess its validity.