Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
-
High rates of co-occurring smoking and chronic pain are observed in the veteran population. Individuals who smoke and have chronic pain report lower self-efficacy to quit and are less successful in their attempts. ⋯ Insights gained from this study were used to modify an intervention being examined in a randomized controlled trial to test its effectiveness on both smoking and pain outcomes.
-
Rates of pain among veterans are as high as 60%; rates approach 80% in women seeking Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) care. Prior studies examined experiences managing pain in community samples, with gender disparities observed. As the largest national integrated health care system in the country, the VA offers a unique environment to a) study perceptions of pain care among men and women and b) contrast experiences using an integrated health care setting with prior observations in the private sector. ⋯ Most of the identified challenges were not unique to the integrated setting. Findings revealed advantages to receiving pain care in this setting. Tensions between patient expectations and guidelines governing provider behavior emerged. Improved patient education, provider communication and sensitivity to the unique needs of women may optimize care.
-
To examine patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics associated with opioid use among Veterans of Operations Enduring Freedom/Iraqi Freedom/New Dawn (OEF/OIF/OND) who receive chiropractic care, and to explore the relationship between timing of a chiropractic visit and receipt of an opioid prescription. ⋯ Nearly one-third of OEF/OIF/OND veterans receiving VA chiropractic services also received an opioid prescription, yet the frequency of opioid prescriptions was lower after the index chiropractic visit than before. Further study is warranted to assess the relationship between opioid use and chiropractic care.