Articles: chronic-pain.
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Although previous studies suggest that the clinical setting of an interdisciplinary pain treatment program may provide an optimal environment to promote smoking cessation, currently available smoking cessation interventions may be less effective for adults with chronic pain due, in part, to unrecognized clinical factors related to chronic pain. The specific aim of this qualitative study was to solicit information from adult smokers with chronic pain participating in an interdisciplinary pain treatment program regarding their perceptions of how smoking affects pain symptoms, and how these beliefs, cognitions, and emotions may either impede or facilitate smoking cessation. Similar information was solicited from a group of pain specialty physicians. ⋯ Important barriers were identified toward making a quit attempt during pain treatment including quitting smoking while making changes in opioid use, and perceived difficulty managing multiple treatment-related stressors. Several pain-related benefits of smoking cessation were identified by physicians, but important barriers to providing smoking cessation services were recognized including lack of time and knowledge about how to help patients quit smoking. The findings of this study identified several novel and important clinical factors that should be incorporated into a targeted smoking cessation intervention for adults with chronic pain.
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This study sought to examine the relations between chronic pain and marijuana use in a large nationally representative survey of adults (n = 5,672; 53% female; M(age) = 45.05, SD = 17.9) conducted in the United States. After controlling for sociodemographic variables, lifetime history of depression, and alcohol abuse/dependence, there was a significant association between lifetime chronic pain and lifetime and current marijuana use. Moreover, current chronic pain was significantly associated with lifetime marijuana use. ⋯ This paper presents the potential linkage between chronic pain and marijuana use. Results from this study suggest that it may be beneficial for clinicians to assess for marijuana use among patients suffering from chronic pain. Such patients may be using marijuana as a maladaptive coping strategy.
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Little is known about the longer term status of pain or the factors associated with pain-related outcome in patients after polytrauma. The current study evaluated the prevalence and severity of pain at least 2 years after injury compared with preinjury status using several pain scores in a Swiss cohort of survivors of blunt polytrauma. ⋯ Our study shows a high rate of longer term pain in survivors of polytrauma and important differences in the type and sensitivity of the standard pain measures investigated. Given the potential impact of these findings, international guidelines for the assessment of pain in polytraumatized patients are needed.
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Women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC) rely on their partners for emotional and practical support. They also experience significant pain and depression, which can trigger maladaptive pain behaviors (eg, distorted ambulation). The biopsychosocial model of pain posits that partner solicitous responses can reinforce pain behaviors, whereas punishing or distracting responses can minimize their occurrence. ⋯ Specifically, punishing responses were associated with more pain behaviors for patients with low levels of pain and fewer pain behaviors for patients with higher levels of pain (effect size r=.18). These findings provide partial support for the biopsychosocial model of pain but also clarify and extend it in the cancer context. Future pain management programs in MBC may benefit from addressing both partners' depression levels and teaching partners to engage in fewer punishing responses when the patient is experiencing low levels of pain.
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Practice Guideline
Canadian guideline for safe and effective use of opioids for chronic noncancer pain: clinical summary for family physicians. Part 1: general population.
To provide family physicians with a practical clinical summary of the Canadian Guideline for Safe and Effective Use of Opioids for Chronic Non-Cancer Pain, developed by the National Opioid Use Guideline Group. ⋯ Opioids play an important role in the management of chronic noncancer pain, but careful prescribing is needed to limit potential harms. The new Canadian guideline provides much-needed guidance to help physicians achieve a balance between optimal pain control and safety.