Pain Management Program (pain + management_program)

Distribution by Scientific Domains


Selected Abstracts


Older and Younger Adults in Pain Management Programs in the United States: Differences and Similarities

PAIN MEDICINE, Issue 2 2006
Harriėt M. Wittink PhD
ABSTRACT Objectives., 1) To investigate health status of older (,60 years) and younger adults (<60 years) with chronic pain and to separately compare that with existing normative data; and 2) to examine more fully differences in health status between younger and older adults with chronic pain and explore their geographic variation across three multidisciplinary pain programs in the Pacific, Mountain, and New England regions of the United States. Design., We performed a cross-sectional analysis. Patients., Initial assessments of 6,147 patients dating from January 1998 to January 2003 were used. Outcomes Measures., We used the Treatment Outcomes of Pain Survey (TOPS), a disease-specific instrument that includes the Short Form-36. Results., The health status of the older pain patients in terms of their actual scores was comparable with that of younger pain patients across the three sites. Health status is impaired to a lesser degree in older than in younger adults with chronic pain as compared with normative adults. Statistically significant differences were found in a number of domains of the TOPS. Older adults with chronic pain present with pain intensity similar to that of younger patients with chronic pain, but report better mental health (P < 0.002), less fear-avoidance (P < 0.05), less passive coping (P < 0.0001), more life control (P < 0.05), and more lower body physical limitations (P < 0.005) than younger patients with chronic pain. Conclusions., Older adults with chronic pain differ in a number of important domains from younger adults with chronic pain: overall the former present with greater physical, and less psychosocial impairment. [source]


Room for improvement: nurses' and physicians' views of a post-operative pain management program

ACTA ANAESTHESIOLOGICA SCANDINAVICA, Issue 3 2010
C. S. HARTOG
Background: The practice of post-operative pain therapy continues to be a problem. We conducted a survey among nurses and physicians about their views of an established post-operative pain management program. Methods: A questionnaire was sent to all nurses and physicians of nine surgical wards (general, trauma, cardio-thoracic and oromaxillofacial surgery and gynecology). Questions were developed from qualitative interviews with staff. Patient data were derived from a post-operative pain registry. Results: Seventy-eight physicians and nurses answered; the overall response rate was 23%. Post-operative pain therapy had high personal priority on an 11-point numeric rating scale (mean 9.08±1.27 standard deviation), but the success of pain management on the ward was rated as 7.32±1.37. Staff rating of success tended to correspond with patients' actual pain ratings. Knowledge of pain therapy was assessed as 6.85±1.82; nurses consistently rated levels higher than physicians. Staff over- or underestimated the painfulness of typical procedures and females rated procedures as more painful than men. There was considerable confusion about responsibilities and duties. 10.7% of staff perceived time delays exceeding 6 h between a request for acute pain services (APS) consultation and administration of medication to the patient. Invited comments suggested improvement in personnel education, team coordination, communication with patients and speed of action to increase the quality of pain therapy. Conclusion: Despite staff's high personal priority and well-established APS and pain management program, post-operative pain therapy still leaves room for improvement. Considerable confusion about responsibilities and duties underlines the importance of better organizational approaches. [source]


Improved pain management in pediatric postoperative liver transplant patients using parental education and non-pharmacologic interventions

PEDIATRIC TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 2 2006
Paul J. Sharek
Abstract:, A pain management intervention, consisting of pretransplant parental education and support, pre- and postoperative behavioral pediatrics consultation, postoperative physical and occupational therapy consultation, and implementation of non-pharmacologic pain management strategies, was introduced to all pediatrics patients receiving liver transplants at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital beginning August 2001. Children receiving transplants pre-intervention (May, 2000 to February, 2001) and post-intervention (August, 2001 to March, 2002) were compared using pain scores, parent perception of pain ratings, length of stay, ventilator days, total cost, and opioid use. A total of 27 children were evaluated (13 historical control, 14 intervention). The two populations did not differ on age at transplant (mean age 53.8 vs. 63.6 months), sex (46.1% vs. 50% male), ethnicity (53.8% vs. 57.1% white, non-Hispanic) weight at transplant (17.5 vs. 24.7 kg), percent with biliary atresia as the primary reason for transplant (42.9% vs. 69.2%), percent with status 1 transplant listing score (38.5% vs. 50.0%), or public insurance status (30.8 vs. 57.2% with Medicaid). No differences were found in mean pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) postoperative length of stay (6.7 vs. 5.3 days), total postoperative length of stay (17.5 vs. 17.5 days), total inpatient length of stay (27.0 vs. 24.4 days), time to extubation (30 vs. 24.3 h), total cost ($147 983 vs. $157 882) or opioid use through postoperative day (POD) 6 (0.24 vs. 0.25 mg/kg/day morphine equivalent). A decrease in mean pain score between POD 0 and 6 (2.82 vs. 2.12; p = 0.047), a decrease in mean parental pain perception score (3.1 vs. 2.1; p = 0.001), and an increase in number of pain assessments per 12 h shift (3.43 vs. 6.79; p < 0.005) were seen. A comprehensive non-pharmacologic postoperative pain management program in children receiving a liver transplant was associated with decreased pain scores, improved parent perception of pain, and an increased number of pain assessments per 12 h shift. No increases in lengths of stay (PICU, postoperative, total), time to extubation, or total cost were found. [source]