Articles: patients.
-
The use of transdermal fentanyl is gaining in importance in the management of cancer pain. We describe the reasons for switching opioid medication to transdermal fentanyl in a pain management unit. ⋯ Conversion to transdermal therapy may readjust the balance between opioid analgesia and side effects. The opioid switch resulted in more pain relief or fewer side effects in half of the patients. A proposed equianalgesic conversion ratio between 70:1 and 100:1 from oral slow-release morphine to transdermal fentanyl can be confirmed by our data. Conversion rates from other opioids to transdermal fentanyl are suggested.
-
Many causes are given as the main reason for inadequate pain therapy. The objective of our study was to demonstrate the current position of doctors in general practice all over Austria who prescribe prescriptions. ⋯ Based on the data at hand, pain therapy for patients should be excellent. The reality, however, is somewhat different. The large number of doctors who did not reply makes it enormously difficult to make a statement about the position of pain therapy in Austria.
-
Recognizing that many Americans draw on religious or spiritual beliefs when confronted by serious illness, some medical educators have recommended that physicians routinely ask about spirituality or religion when conducting a medical history. The most appropriate wording for such an inquiry remains unknown. ⋯ Many but not all patients surveyed in a pulmonary outpatient practice welcome a carefully worded inquiry about their spiritual or religious beliefs in the event that they become gravely ill.
-
To study the attitudes of preclinical and clinical medical students toward the importance of telling patients they are students, and to compare their attitudes with those of patients. ⋯ Medical students place less importance on informing patients about their student status than patients desire, especially in surgical settings in which the patient is to be anesthetized. Medical students already having completed a clinical rotation stray further from patient ideals than preclinical medical students. These findings suggest that, as medical students advance in their training, they suffer an erosion in their attitudes about telling patients they are students.