Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialImpact of Standardized Educational Intervention on Improvement in Analgesic Knowledge and Its Compliance among Patients of Advanced Cancer Patients Attending Palliative Clinic: Prospective Randomized Study.
Patient education is a low-cost intervention that can help in improving the knowledge and compliance regarding analgesics. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of the standardized educational intervention on knowledge regarding analgesic, its compliance, and barriers to compliance among advanced cancer patients attending palliative care clinic. In this randomized control trial, 100 advanced cancer patients with pain were randomly allocated to two groups. ⋯ There was also a statistically significant decrease in barriers to compliance in the experimental group as compared to the control group. A significant correlation between the knowledge and compliance score at 4 weeks in the experimental group was found with a Karl Pearson correlation coefficient, r = 0.628 (p = 0.001). The standardized educational intervention was found to be effective in improving the analgesic knowledge and analgesic compliance among cancer patients with pain at 2 and 4 weeks follow up as compared to the usual care.
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Pharmacotherapy is essential in palliative medicine. Besides potential benefits, pharmacotherapy also poses potential risks that need to be minimized for patient safety. Pharmacists can play an important role in identifying, solving, and avoiding drug-related problems (DRPs). ⋯ Clinically relevant DRPs are common in palliative medicine. The systematic assessment can support therapy decisions. This can result in optimized drug therapy, subsequently having a positive effect on symptom control and quality of life.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2021
Evaluation of Extended-Release Oxycodone Administered through Enteral Tubes for the Management of Pain in Patients with Head and Neck Cancer: A Case Series.
An abuse-deterrent, microsphere-in-capsule extended-release formulation of oxycodone myristate (Xtampza® ER, Collegium Pharmaceutical Inc, Canton, Massachusetts), was approved by the FDA in 2016 for the management of pain. The advantage of this formulation of oxycodone is that the microspheres can be administered via enteral tubes without compromising the long-acting formulation. This case series characterizes the experiences of five head and neck cancer patients initiated on oxycodone myristate through enteral tube administration for control of cancer-related pain. ⋯ The median time to pain control was 4 days. The safety profile of oxycodone myristate was consistent with the package insert with no new findings reported. Oxycodone myristate can be an appropriate long-acting opioid analgesic option for patients requiring enteral tube administration of medications to achieve adequate cancer-related pain control.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2021
Pain Management in Patients with Severe Pemphigus Vulgaris.
To describe the pain management and clinical course of patients with severe Pemphigus Vulgaris (PV) admitted to a third-level Intensive Care Unit (ICU). This was a retrospective cohort study conducted in the Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubirán over the period 2013-2020. Study population comprised patients with severe PV admitted to the ICU. ⋯ Opioids remain the mainstay for acute pain control in patients with severe PV. Biological, psychological, and social factors influence patients' daily opioid requirements and dose escalation. Successful pain management contributes to improving the quality of life, and the suppression and remission of PV.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Dec 2021
Transdermal Fentanyl Usage in Working-age Patients Undergoing Cancer Treatment: Prescription Pattern Analysis Using Large Claims Data in Japan.
The number of working-age individuals undergoing cancer treatment has been increasing. In these patients, transdermal fentanyl is the preferred treatment. However, it is known to have (1) pharmacodynamic interactions with benzodiazepines and (2) fever-induced pharmacokinetic variations. ⋯ This increased to 39.3% (n = 298) within 30 days. Predictive factors for fever using patients' baseline characteristics were male sex, gastrointestinal cancer, hematological cancer, and renal disease. To provide adequate pharmacotherapy to working-age patients undergoing cancer treatment with transdermal fentanyl, medical staff should pay attention to (1) avoid adding benzodiazepines easily and (2) monitor patients having predictors for fever to avoid fentanyl-related adverse events.