Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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The objective of this project was to develop core competencies in pain assessment and management for prelicensure health professional education. Such core pain competencies common to all prelicensure health professionals have not been previously reported. ⋯ These competencies can serve as a foundation for developing, defining, and revising curricula and as a resource for the creation of learning activities across health professions designed to advance care that effectively responds to pain.
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Given the increase in misuse and abuse of prescription opioids, clinicians clearly benefit from a standardized tool to screen patients being considered for chronic opioid therapy. The Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R) is a widely used opioid risk assessment tool in clinical practice. As one third of the US population experiences chronic noncancer pain at any given time, and the Hispanic population now accounts for about 16% of the nation's population, the availability of a Spanish-language SOAPP-R fills an important clinical need. ⋯ The Spanish SOAPP-R may be useful as a risk assessment tool, considered along with other clinical information, by clinicians who prescribe opioid therapy for patients whose preferred language is Spanish.
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To determine whether signs of metabolic disturbance and especially visceral obesity are associated with upper extremity pain. ⋯ Visceral obesity seems to be a risk factor for upper extremity pain. Further studies are needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and to clarify whether weight loss can be helpful in pain management.
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Painful HIV distal sensory polyneuropathy (HIV-DSP) is the most common nervous system disorder in HIV patients. The symptoms adversely affect patients' quality of life and often diminish their capacity for independent self-care. No interventions have been shown to be consistently effective in treating the disorder. The purpose of the present study was to determine whether hypnosis could be a useful intervention in the management of painful HIV-DSP. ⋯ Brief hypnosis interventions have promise as a useful and well-tolerated tool for managing painful HIV-DSP meriting further investigation.
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Patient satisfaction surveys, such as Press Ganey, are flawed metrics for the emergency department setting and also in broader pain medicine. National experts discuss the pitfalls of applying such measures in pain care, and the potential unintended negative consequences to patients and providers alike. Evaluators, administrators, and payers are challenged to understand the limitations of Press Ganey and patient satisfactions in pain treatment, and the field is challenged to develop meaningful and valid metrics for best practices and competencies.