Pain management nursing : official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses
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Many individuals suffering from arthritis and other rheumatic diseases (AORD) supplement pharmacologic treatments with psychosocial interventions. One promising approach, guided imagery, has been reported to have positive results in randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and is a highly scalable treatment for those with AORD. The main purpose of this study was to conduct a systematic review of RCTs that have examined the effects of guided imagery on pain, function, and other outcomes such as anxiety, depression, and quality of life in adults with AORD. ⋯ All studies reported statistically significant improvements in the observed outcomes. Guided imagery appears to be beneficial for adults with AORD. Future theory-based studies with cost-benefit analyses are warranted.
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Research supports using nonverbal pain behaviors to identify pain in persons with dementia. It is unknown whether variations exist among ethnic groups in the expression of nonverbal pain behaviors in this special population. The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine ethnic differences in the presentation and intensity of nonverbal pain behaviors among African American, Caucasian, and Hispanic older adults with dementia when screened for pain by certified nursing assistants. ⋯ No significant differences were noted across ethnic groups with regards to overall pain intensity. These findings are the first to examine ethnic differences in nonverbal pain behaviors for older adults with dementia. However, future work should examine assessment tendencies of providers in a larger, more diverse sample.
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Chronic pain is a devastating amalgam of symptoms that affects millions of Americans at tremendous cost to our healthcare system and, more importantly, to patients' quality of life. Literature and research demonstrate that neuroimmune cells called glia are not only responsible for initiating and maintaining part of the chronic pain disease process, but also release inflammatory molecules responsible for decreasing the efficacy of one of the most prominent treatments for pain, opioid analgesia. This article describes chronic pain as a disease process that has ineffective treatment modalities, explores the mechanisms of glial cell activation and inflammatory responses that lead to chronic pain and decreased opioid treatment efficacy, and hypothesizes novel chronic pain treatment modalities based on the glial cell inactivation and anti-inflammatory pathways.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Effects of Open and Closed Suctioning Systems on Pain in Newborns Treated with Mechanical Ventilation.
This experimental study was conducted to compare the effects of open and closed suctioning systems on pain in newborns receiving ventilation support. The study sample consisted of 42 babies (23 female, 16 male) hospitalized in the unit between December 2010 and December 2011 who met the selection criteria established for the study. Using the random sampling method, 20 of the babies were included in the closed suctioning system group and the remaining 22 were analyzed in the open suctioning system group. ⋯ Results of the study revealed no statistically significant difference between the open suctioning and closed suctioning groups (p = .194). However, the N-PASS pain scores obtained before and during the suctioning processes were significantly different (p < .001). In conclusion, babies seem to experience pain during the suctioning process, according to N-PASS scores, and although not significant statistically, the level of pain felt during open suctioning was observed to be slightly higher compared with closed suctioning.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Effectiveness of Three Types of Interventions in Patients with Fibromyalgia in a Region of Southern Catalonia.
Several pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatments can be used to alleviate the symptoms of fibromyalgia, although none of them are completely effective at present. In this study, we analyzed the effectiveness of different therapies in three groups of people diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The sample for this randomized controlled trial was made up of 66 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia in southern Catalonia. ⋯ Anxiety/depression decreased by 45% with therapy, 36.3% with infiltration, and 36.3% with both treatments. The results also showed that the use of both treatments significantly reduces suicidal thoughts (p = .049). In conclusion, this study showed the complexity of reducing chronic pain and increasing the quality of life of people with fibromyalgia.