Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2015
Comparative StudyTools to Assess Pain or Lack of Comfort In Dementia: A Content Analysis.
There is need for tools to help detect pain or lack of comfort in persons unable to communicate. However, pain and (dis)comfort tools have not been compared, and it is unclear to what extent they discriminate between pain and other possible sources of discomfort, or even if items differ. ⋯ This analysis may inform a more rigorous theoretical underpinning and (re)development of pain and discomfort tools and calls for empirical testing of a broad item pool for sensitivity and specificity in detecting and discriminating pain from other sources of discomfort.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2015
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative StudyFentanyl Buccal Tablet vs. Oral Morphine in Doses Proportional to the Basal Opioid Regimen for the Management of Breakthrough Cancer Pain: A Randomized, Crossover, Comparison Study.
Fentanyl products have shown superiority to oral opioids for the management of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP). However, these studies did not use appropriate patient selection, and drugs have been compared by using different rationales. ⋯ When used in doses proportional to the basal opioid regimen, FBT showed a clear superiority and was well tolerated when compared with OM during the first 30 minutes, which is the approximate target for a timely intervention required for a BTcP medication.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2015
Multicenter StudySymptom Control Trials in Patients with Advanced Cancer: A Qualitative Study.
Symptom control research in patients with advanced cancer is not common. This may be the result of a belief that this research is unethical, not practical, or that patients are not interested. However, the experiences of cancer patients who have actually taken part in symptom control research near the end of life have never been detailed. ⋯ The findings provide grounds for optimism that patients with advanced cancer may benefit from taking part in symptom control trials, supporting the paradigm that participation in symptom control research should be encouraged in this population.