Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
-
Multicenter Study Observational Study
Clinical and resource utilization patterns in patients with refractory neuropathic pain prescribed pregabalin for the first time in routine medical practice in primary care settings in Spain.
To describe clinical and resource utilization patterns in patients with refractory neuropathic pain (NeP) who were prescribed pregabalin for the first time in routine medical practice in primary care settings. ⋯ These findings suggest that primary care physicians chose pregabalin as an option for treating refractory patients who tended to have much more severe NeP profiles, costing society more than when they chose other therapeutic strategies not including pregabalin.
-
To assess the feasibility and efficacy of microwave ablation (MWA) of painful refractory bone and soft tissue tumors performed under local anesthesia. ⋯ MWA is feasible, safe, and effective in the management of painful refractory bone and soft tissue tumors. It may therefore be considered as a potential alternative to existing percutaneous ablation techniques in the management of bone and soft tissue tumors.
-
To identify and quantify the rate of aberrant drug-taking behaviors using objective data. ⋯ Patient report and the medical record are inadequate to screen for aberrant drug-related behaviors. Addition of PMP and POC UDS contribute significantly to identification of inconsistencies through higher IS scores and differentiate patients at higher risk of medication misuse, abuse, or diversion. Comparison of multiple sources of objective information provides better insight into inconsistencies of report and behavior, and may assist in more appropriate and safer prescribing decisions.