Articles: pain-measurement.
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Undertreatment of cancer pain is widely recognized. This study sought to determine if inadequate communication about pain intensity between health care providers and their patients could represent a significant factor interfering with the control of cancer pain. One hundred and three consecutive patients with solid tumors and normal mental status examinations were screened within 48 hr during two study periods. ⋯ Improved correspondence was noted with lower patient VAS scores. This study demonstrates that health care provider impressions of patient pain are often quite different than those of the patient and that these discrepancies are most pronounced in patients with significant pain. The routine use of pain assessment tools, such as the VAS, could enhance patient-caregiver communication and improve care for patients with cancer pain.
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Even though greater than 60% oncology patients experience pain sometime during the course of their illness, management of this pain still remains an enormous clinical problem. Based on this report, it would appear that pain assessment and management would be a key concern in the care of oncology patients. Yet, from previous research, it is clear that a lack of pain assessment documentation exists, which essentially means legally assessment has not been performed. ⋯ Effectiveness was measured by extracting pain assessment documentation from charts. No significant differences in documentation scores were noted across the three groups. Recommendations and nursing implications concerning continuing education strategies and pain assessment documentation are made.
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Psychophysiological recordings (electrodermal activity, heart rate, respiration rate and frontalis and back muscle tension) were taken in chronic low back pain (CLBP) patients and control subjects during baseline conditions and during the presentation of six acute pressure pain stimuli. No baseline differences in back muscle tension between CLBP patients and controls were found, but CLBP patients did have higher baseline electrodermal activity. During pain stimulation, CLBP patients showed larger skin conductance reactions than controls. ⋯ Contrary to expectation, no differences were found between CLBP patients and controls in physiological habituation after repeating the pain stimulus. Comparison of subjective pain ratings and psychophysiological variables showed that for control subjects arousal and subjective pain were related. For CLBP patients there was no such clear relationship.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
[Validation of electronic by conventional pain diaries].
A new type of electronic pain diary was validated in an open, randomized, crossover study. The main target variables were the comparison of the correctly realized pain assessment entries as well as the recording of the number of adverse events. Selected for the study were 20 patients, who were either hospitalized, partially-hospitalized or treated on an out-patient basis, with painful spondylogenic spinal syndrome or osteoarthritis of the trunk-proximal large joints. ⋯ Likewise, the functional impairment of the affected joints as well as the swelling decreased markedly. The advantages of the electronic data recording system, i.e. closely-meshed controls can be carried out, transcriptional errors are minimized, data can be processed on-line, no possibility to subsequently change an entry, stand in contrast to the feature that there is no possibility to make free-style entries. The employment of the electronic system in the recording of individual data and subjective data represents a substantial improvement with regard to the quantity and quality of the data.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Analgesic effects of different pulse patterns of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation on cold-induced pain in normal subjects.
The analgesic efficacy of various pulse patterns of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) were assessed in 84 normal healthy subjects using the cold pressor pain technique. Burst, modulation, random and continuous TENS all significantly elevated ice pain threshold. ⋯ Increasing the size of electrodes reduced the effect of continuous TENS. The clinical implications of these findings are discussed.