Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Review Meta AnalysisA meta-analysis of randomized trials: immediate stent placement vs. surgical bypass in the palliative management of malignant biliary obstruction.
Many patients with unresectable pancreatic and peripancreatic cancer require treatment for malignant biliary obstruction. ⋯ Nearly all patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer benefit from some procedure to manage biliary obstruction. Patients with low surgical risk benefit more from surgery because the risk of recurrence and subsequent hospital utilization are lower than after stent placement.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialWeb-based symptom management for women with recurrent ovarian cancer: a pilot randomized controlled trial of the WRITE Symptoms intervention.
Little research has focused on symptom management among women with ovarian cancer. Written Representational Intervention To Ease Symptoms (WRITE Symptoms) is an educational intervention delivered through asynchronous web-based message boards between a study participant and a nurse. ⋯ Participants found the intervention and assessment system easy to use and had high levels of satisfaction. Initial efficacy was supported by decreases in symptom severity and distress.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Palliative care research in Africa: consensus building for a prioritized agenda.
Palliative care research in Africa is in its relative infancy, with dedicated financial support extremely limited. Therefore, setting research priorities to optimize use of limited resources is imperative. ⋯ Consensus-based palliative care topics determined by the study can assist researchers in optimizing limited research capacities by focusing on these prioritized areas. Subsequent to the identification and publication of the research agenda, concrete steps will be undertaken by the African Palliative Care Research Network and other partners to help implement it.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Comparative StudyAdequacy of opioid analgesic consumption at country, global, and regional levels in 2010, its relationship with development level, and changes compared with 2006.
In most countries, patients do not have adequate access to opioid analgesics because of barriers resulting from the abuse potential of these medicines. ⋯ The consumption of opioid analgesics remains inadequate in most of the world and, as a result, patients with moderate and severe pain do not receive the treatment they need. Governments, health organizations, and nongovernmental organizations must collaborate to address this situation, targeting their efforts at educational, cultural, health policy and regulatory levels.