Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Changes in Muscle Tone, Function, and Pain in the Chronic Hemiparetic Shoulder after Dry Needling Within or Outside Trigger Points in Stroke Patients: A Crossover Randomized Clinical Trial.
To investigate the effects of applying dry needling into a trigger point (TrP) or non-TrP area in people who have suffered a stroke and to investigate if the effects of dry needling are maintained at six-week follow-up. ⋯ The effect of dry needling on muscle tone (spasticity) and upper extremity function is not related to its application in or outside of a TrP area. The effect of dry needling on shoulder pain was slightly superior when applied over a TrP in poststroke people. These effects were maintained six weeks after treatment.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Clinician-Patient Racial/Ethnic Concordance Influences Racial/Ethnic Minority Pain: Evidence from Simulated Clinical Interactions.
Racial and ethnic minorities in the United States report higher levels of both clinical and experimental pain, yet frequently receive inadequate pain treatment. Although these disparities are well documented, their underlying causes remain largely unknown. Evidence from social psychological and health disparities research suggests that clinician-patient racial/ethnic concordance may improve minority patient health outcomes. Yet whether clinician-patient racial/ethnic concordance influences pain remains poorly understood. ⋯ Our findings inform our understanding of the sociocultural factors that influence pain within medical contexts and suggest that increasing minority, particularly non-Hispanic Black/African American, physician numbers may help reduce persistent racial/ethnic pain disparities.
-
Editorial Comment
Future Directions in Psychological Therapies for Pain Management.
-
To conduct a retrospective analysis of sequential cross-sectional data of opioid prescribing practices in patients with no prior history of opioid use. ⋯ Opioid prescribing practices varied across different populations of insured individuals during the past 17 years. The most substantial changes in opioid prescriptions over time have occurred in MDCD, with reductions in use across multiple metrics.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
How to Teach Medical Students About Pain and Dementia: E-Learning, Experiential Learning, or Both?
Pain management in persons with mild to moderate dementia poses unique challenges because of altered pain modulation and the tendency of some individuals to perseverate. We aimed to test the impact of an e-learning module about pain in communicative people with dementia on third-year medical students who had or had not completed an experiential geriatrics course. ⋯ Medical students exposed to e-learning or experiential learning demonstrated improved confidence in evaluating and managing pain in patients with dementia. Those exposed to both educational methods also significantly improved their knowledge.