Articles: pain-management-methods.
-
Observational Study
Pills to pot: observational analyses of cannabis substitution among medical cannabis users with chronic pain.
Chronic pain is common, costly, and challenging to treat. Many individuals with chronic pain have turned to cannabis as an alternative form of pain management. We report results from an ongoing, online survey of medical cannabis users with chronic pain nationwide about how cannabis affects pain management, health, and pain medication use. ⋯ Perspective: This article presents results that confirm previous clinical studies suggesting that cannabis may be an effective analgesic and potential opioid substitute. Participants reported improved pain, health, and fewer side effects as rationale for substituting. This article highlights how use duration and intentions for use affect reported treatment and substitution effects.
-
To investigate whether physician-patient agreement of potential patient problem areas impacts subsequent patient enrollment in an interdisciplinary pain management program. ⋯ The level of physician-patient agreement regarding the patients' current difficulties did not appear to influence patients' decisions to participate in interdisciplinary pain management. Extraneous, nonclinical factors may have had a greater impact on participation in interdisciplinary pain management than physician-patient agreement. Future research should focus on identifying these factors and their impact. Also, studying the impact of physician-patient agreement beyond enrollment status (eg, on successful program completion) may be helpful in potentially enhancing patient outcomes.
-
Treatment options for chronic low back pain (CLBP) include cognitive behavioral interventions. Most of these interventions only have small and short-lived effects. Using strict inclusion criteria for participation in an intensive combined physical and psychological program, encouraging effects were reported at 1-year follow-up. This study evaluates the long-term follow-up results of the same program. The hypothesis is that previously reported results are maintained. ⋯ Selected and motivated patients with longstanding CLBP improve fast after an intensive combined physical and psychological program in daily functioning, pain and quality of life. Positive 1-year results are maintained, and healthcare utilization was still reduced at a minimum of 5-year follow-up. These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2019
Introduction to a new Special Series for the Journal of Pain and Symptom Management - Science in Action: Evidence and opportunities for palliative care across diverse populations and care settings.
Practices to optimize palliative care delivery and new opportunities in which to integrate palliative care vary across populations and care settings. Systematic reviews are an efficient and methodologically rigorous approach to summarize existing research to identify both evidence-based best practices and new areas for future research and clinical practice. This is the introduction to a special series of articles in which members of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine Research Committee report the results of circumscribed systematic reviews, which in a specific population or care setting seek to 1) summarize existing evidence for optimal palliative care practices or 2) identify opportunities where better palliative care delivery could improve patient and/or family outcomes.
-
Chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) is a major health concern. Opioids may be a useful treatment option, but their use still remains controversial given the significant risks and epidemic of opioid addiction and abuse. There is limited data on whether opioid therapy is an effective treatment option for chronic non-cancer pain. ⋯ Chronic pain, chronic non-cancer pain, opioids, pain, quality of life, side effects, noncompliance, unemployment.