Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Community hospital physician and nurse attitudes about pain management.
An interdisciplinary committee was established and charged with examining pain management and developing interventions at a 148 bed community hospital. To examine strategies on managing pain from both healthcare provider and patient perspectives, the committee surveyed the attitudes of physicians and nurses toward pain management and patients' opinions about the pain management they received in the hospital. A separate survey instrument was developed for physicians, nursing staff and patients. ⋯ Results showed that the majority of physicians (88.9%, n = 40) and nurses (83.0%, n = 118) were satisfied with the pain management outcomes in their patients, and that 91.1% of physicians and 90.2% of nurses included their patients in the pain management decision-making process. Nearly all patients believed their pain was adequately managed, but the results indicated a need to improve the use of pain assessment scales by the hospital staff and a need to educate and involve all patients in their pain management options. Survey data also showed a desire for staff education on pain management.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Case ReportsTreatment of neuropathic orbital pain with gabapentin.
We report and discuss a case of severe neuropathic orbital pain refractory to standard analgesics that responded well to treatment with the anticonvulsant gabapentin. Gabapentin may be a useful adjuvant analgesic in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Symptom-related research from the agency for healthcare research and quality.
Recent reports on research supported by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality are summarized. These reports relate to use of aspirin for cardioprotection by patients taking NSAIDs, end of life care for nursing home residents with advanced directives, Cancer Patients' Satisfaction With Primary Care Pain Management, the need for increased medical training about adverse drug events, and dorsal root entry zone lesioning for central neuropathic pain. The research summarized in this report was abstracted from the AHRQ Research Activities.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Calls for improved cancer symptom control... and some responses.
The hospice movement and palliative care programs have grown over the past quarter century at an astounding rate. Such programs now treat far more than just pain or cancer. ⋯ Recently, an increased focus on the need for more and better palliative care has led to important new publications, federal funding initiatives from palliative care research, and explicit recommendations from the National Cancer Policy Board on ways to lessen barriers to palliative care. Some of these potential solutions are discussed.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Palliative care: an emerging issue for American Indians and Alaskan Natives.
Over 4 million American Indians and Alaskan Natives live in communities that receive health care primarily from the federal Indian Health Service or tribal health programs. Palliative care has only recently been formally addressed for these communities. An Indian Health Service program introduced the topic and several programs are ongoing. Needs for and barriers to palliative care in native peoples' communities are discussed and several successful programs at various stages of development and implementation are described.