Journal of opioid management
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Previous evidences concerning pain mechanisms, long-term opioids use, and personality traits evolve the possibility that pain perception and opioid abuse are two related phenomena and there is a need to take into account the specific personality traits as well, in examining the relationships among them. Opioid addicts (OAs) have been shown to exhibit different personality traits and pain perception as compared with healthy subjects. The aim of the present study was to examine the relations between personality traits and pain perception among in-treatment OAs in comparison with controls. ⋯ It is concluded that in contrast to healthy population, personality traits, as measured by the TPQ, do not predict pain perception in OAs.
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Review
Physician-related barriers to cancer pain management with opioid analgesics: a systematic review.
The purpose of this review is to summarize the results of studies on physician-related barriers to cancer pain management with opioid analgesics. ⋯ This review revealed mostly general and common physician-related barriers to cancer pain management: concerns about side effects to opioids, prescription of not efficient doses of opioids, and very poor prescription for the treatment of side effects from opioids. In the future, the evaluation of the influence of cultural-social-economical background, as well as the differences between the various specialists involved in the care of patients with cancer, should be explored to better understand physicians' barriers and more effectively address them in interventional and educational programs.
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Errors may be more common and more likely to be harmful with opioids than with other medications, but little research has been conducted on these errors. ⋯ Reported opioid errors are usually associated with administration and prescribing and frequently cause uncontrolled pain as well as overdoses. These patterns of errors should be considered when using opioids and incorporated into pain guidelines, education, and quality improvement programs.