Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Evaluation of low back pain: comparative study between psychophysical methods.
The aims of this study were to validate the measurement of low back pain by different psychophysical methods and to compare different methods of pain measurement. ⋯ This research tries to bring to health care an original method for measuring low back pain. It is noteworthy that in the future, more research is needed to apply this method in clinical and scientific fields.
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The goal of present study was to examine the influence of demographic characteristics, lifestyle, and metabolic factors on pressure-induced pain threshold. ⋯ It is important for physicians and researchers to consider these variables when evaluating pain sensitivity in clinic and in research. The underling mechanisms between these factors and pressure pain perception are worthy of further exploration.
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The study aims to determine the prevalence of undiagnosed comorbid mood disorders in patients suffering chronic musculoskeletal pain in a primary care setting and to identify sleep disturbances and other associated factors in these patients, and to compare the use of health services by chronic musculoskeletal pain patients with and without comorbid mood disorders. ⋯ The prevalence of undiagnosed mood disorders in patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain is very high in primary care settings. Our findings suggest that greater attention should be paid to this condition in general practice and that sleep disorders should be evaluated in greater detail to achieve accurate diagnoses and select the most appropriate treatment.
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Research has shown that several patients report unmet psychosocial and spiritual needs. While most studies focus on patients with advanced stages of disease, we intended to identify unmet spiritual needs in patients with chronic pain diseases and cancer living in a secular society. ⋯ Patients with chronic pain diseases predominantly report needs related to inner peace and generative relatedness on a personal level, whereas needs related to transcendent relatedness were of minor relevance. Nevertheless, even religious "skeptics" can express specific religious needs, and these should be recognized. Addressing patients' specific needs and also supporting them in their struggle with chronic illness remain a challenging task for the modern health care system.
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Observational Study
Dose patterns among patients using low-dose buprenorphine patches.
The objective of this study was to investigate the dose pattern of low-dose buprenorphine patches among patients in Swedish clinical practice. The clinical experts among the coauthors interpreted the results in relation to possible indications of development of tolerance and/or dependence/addiction. ⋯ The average dose increased by 4 μg/h during the patients' treatment course, which lasted on an average of 260 days. From a clinical perspective, the dose increase of 4 μg/h is low and does not suggest dependence/addiction, as also supported by the low proportion of patients remaining on continuous treatment.