The Clinical journal of pain
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The National Cancer Institute's Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine established a series of expert panels to develop the state of the science in research methodologies in CAM cancer research. Panelists from both conventional and CAM research draw on their expertise in their relative fields to apply their knowledge and expertise to specific topic areas within cancer CAM. ⋯ The discussion and conclusions raised by this panel primarily address pain research but are applicable to other symptoms as well. This article will focus on the panel presentations that are most applicable to CAM pain research in both cancer and noncareer pain populations, identifying the major challenges and conclusions offered by the panelists.
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Review Comparative Study
Spinal cord stimulation for complex regional pain syndrome: an evidence-based medicine review of the literature.
The purpose of this investigation is to assess the evidence for efficacy of SCS in the management of pain in patients with CRPS. ⋯ Although limited in quality and quantity, available evidence from the examined literature suggests that SCS is effective in the management of pain in patients with CRPS (grade B/C). Clinically useful information extracted from the available studies is very limited in guiding clinicians in the rational use of SCS for pain management in CRPS patients. Future attempts to investigate the efficacy of SCS in CRPS patients should involve methodologically robust designs such as randomized studies that have sufficient power.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Acupuncture in the management of chronic low back pain: a blinded randomized controlled trial.
To assess the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of chronic low back pain. ⋯ Further research is necessary to fully assess the efficacy of this treatment in combating chronic low back pain using larger sample sizes or alternative control groups.
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Comparative Study
Neonatal Facial Coding System for assessing postoperative pain in infants: item reduction is valid and feasible.
The objectives of this study were to: (1). evaluate the validity of the Neonatal Facial Coding System (NFCS) for assessment of postoperative pain and (2). explore whether the number of NFCS facial actions could be reduced for assessing postoperative pain. ⋯ This study demonstrates that the NFCS is a reliable, feasible, and valid tool for assessing postoperative pain. The reduction of the NFCS to 5 items increases the specificity for pain assessment without reducing the sensitivity and validity for detecting changes in pain.