Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain
-
Prescription opioid pain reliever (OPR) misuse and diversion is an important and growing public health problem in the United States that is responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. Emergency physicians are among the top prescribers of OPRs, yet the relative contribution of emergency department (ED) OPR prescriptions to the overall opioid abuse epidemic remains unclear. ⋯ Among patients who suffer an OPR-related death, approximately 1.8% of the OPR pills given to the decedents will have come from the ED. In addition to the need for more research, the existing literature suggests an urgent need for interventions in the ED to reduce OPR misuse and diversion.
-
Evaluating the clinical efficacy of acupuncture analgesia with systematic reviews (SRs) has attracted wide interest. ⋯ The quantity and the quality of SRs regarding acupuncture analgesia have been promoted in recent years. More effort should be expended on the assessment of publication bias, the provision of detailed information about the protocol and the registration process, and the implementation of additional analyses to improve the validity of the SRs.
-
Pain is one of the most common symptoms in patients with cancer. The aim of this review is to summarize the most recent literature regarding tapentadol use in oncology patients and moderate or severe pain. ⋯ Tapentadol is seemingly an effective, well-tolerated alternative for moderate or severe cancer pain. Most prospective cohort studies have relatively small samples, are restricted to few research centers, and lack detailed subgroup information. More experience is required to draw valid generalizable conclusions.
-
Empathy is an essential element in providing quality patient care. The significance of empathy is even more striking in pain medicine, as chronic pain is notorious for the way it can compromise an individual, leaving him or her isolated and feeling misconceived. This review examines the role of empathy in pain medicine practice. ⋯ The review reveals that empathy deserves an unchallenged place in medical care, especially in pain medicine and medical education. It highlights the need to nurture empathy at all levels of professional expertise from medical student to senior doctors.