The Clinical journal of pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Effect of acupuncture-like electrical stimulation on chronic tension-type headache: a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled trial.
The aim of this study was to examine the effect of acupuncture-like electrical stimulation on chronic tension-type headache (TTH) in a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled study. ⋯ The use of acupuncture-like electrical stimulation was not associated with significant adverse effects. These results indicate that acupuncture-like electrical stimulation is a safe and potentially analgesic-sparing therapy that may be considered as an adjunctive treatment for patients with chronic TTH although the clinical effect on pain seems to be marginal in the present set-up.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study
Making pain assessment more accessible to children and parents: can greater involvement improve the quality of care?
To determine whether nursing and parental pain assessment documentation and analgesia administration increased with the use of a temporary tattoo of a pain intensity scale (TTPS) compared with a paper version of the pain scale (PPS). To document any adverse skin reactions from the use of the TTPS and to assess the feasibility and acceptability of the PPS and TTPS for use as postoperative pain assessment tools in the home and clinical setting. ⋯ The TTPS is a new method to engage children in pain assessment, which may have positive effects on the quality of postoperative pain assessment and management in hospital and home settings. Larger trials are needed to determine the effectiveness of the TTPS across all pediatric settings and for children with nonsurgical and also surgical pain. The findings from these pilot trials provide useful information for design and power estimation for further research in inpatient and home settings.
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Clinical Trial
Long-term use of controlled-release oxycodone for noncancer pain: results of a 3-year registry study.
To evaluate the outcomes associated with the use of controlled-release (CR) oxycodone for up to 3 years in the treatment of noncancer pain. ⋯ These registry data demonstrate that a subgroup of patients with noncancer pain experienced prolonged relief with tolerable side effects and modest need for dose escalation during long-term therapy with CR oxycodone.
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Comparative Study
Psychiatric history and psychologic adjustment as risk factors for aberrant drug-related behavior among patients with chronic pain.
To investigate the role of psychiatric history and psychologic adjustment on aberrant drug-related behavior among patients prescribed opioids for noncancer pain. ⋯ Psychiatric factors, such as a history of mood disorder, psychologic problems, and psychosocial stressors, may place patients at risk for misuse of prescription opioids. Future studies to elucidate the risk of medication misuse and aberrant drug behavior among this patient population are needed.
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Assessment of pain in patients with whiplash-associated disorders has been previously reported using a variety of instruments. However, the reproducibility of the findings derived from such measurements has not been explored with respect to this particular patients group. ⋯ On the basis of the current patient sample, this study demonstrates that although PPT findings may generally be applied for monitoring change in chronic whiplash patients, the use of VAS scores should be limited to patients whose initial score is above 4. It is also suggested that if the PPT is to serve as an outcome measure, its measurement should be performed by the same tester.