Der Schmerz
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A minimal documentation system (MIDOS) has been developed for self-assessment of pain and other symptoms by the patients on palliative care units. To decrease the administrative burden and thereby increase the acceptance of the system an electronic database was developed to facilitate data entry and documentation. ⋯ This data base was used in two trials on the palliative care unit of the university of Cologne, confirming data safety and convenience of the programme. We recommend the use of this data base in combination with MIDOS and the core documentation for routine assessment on the palliative care ward.
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Repeated assessment of pain and other symptoms is required for quality assurance in palliative care. However, physical and cognitive impairment of the patients may impede the use of standardized questionnaires and documentation systems in palliative care setting. We developed a minimal documentation system (MIDOS) for the specific requirements in this setting. ⋯ We conclude that MIDOS is a valid instrument for self-assessment of the patient's symptoms and may be used to monitor the efficacy of symptom management.
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The present study examines the relationship between different psychological variables (including anxiety, depression, locus of control, expectations of pain intensity and social support) and postoperative pain, analgesic consumption and satisfaction with the pain management in a study sample of 67 patients. ⋯ While pain experience could be predicted by stable psychological traits, satisfaction was associated with the state variables, like anxiety and depression. It is precisely satisfaction with the pain therapy that could be improved by special preoperative psychological training and/or general information about the postoperative pain intensity.
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Chronic pain is an individually variable experience, incorporating physical, psychological and social dimensions. Chronic pain occurs in a broad spectrum of severity; therefore, a grading procedure is of crucial importance in clinical research and in epidemiologic studies. The Mainz Pain Staging System is an interview-administered, multi-dimensional measure of chronic pain severity. The system suggests grading chronic pain in terms of 4 axes: time (persistence), spreading of pain site, medication use, and health care utilization. The whole scale consist of 10 items. The resulting score is used to classify the pain problem in three stages (I, II, III). Analysing the broader validity and parametric properties of the staging system is the purpose of the present study. ⋯ Given the high prevalence of recurrent and chronic pain as well as the broadness of severity, an important issue on further research is identification of factors which influence the chronification process. For this purpose improved measures of graded classification of pain status are needed.
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Subjective well-being is an essential ingredient in the quality of life concept. The Marburg questionnaire, a seven item scale for the assessment of the trait dimension of well-being, claims to possess good psychometric properties. This is investigated in two studies with chronic pain patients. ⋯ The good psychometric quality of the questionnaire along with its brevity allows its application as part of a quality of life assessment.