The Clinical journal of pain
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The study aimed to determine the degree to which social capital (a combination of social resources that can be beneficial to a person's physical health and well-being), personal coping strategies, and additional personal and disease-related factors, contribute to the functioning and quality of life (QoL) of fibromyalgia (FM) patients. ⋯ Bonding social capital, problem-solving coping strategies, and the duration of FM contribute positively to functioning and QoL of FM patients; whereas, emotional-focused coping strategies do the opposite. Further research to test the effects of strengthened social capital and enhanced problem-solving rather than emotion-focused coping strategies on functioning and QoL of FM patients is warranted.
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Although the economic costs of substance misuse have been extensively examined in the published literature, information on the costs of nonmedical use of prescription opioids is much more limited, despite being a significant and rapidly growing problem in the United States. ⋯ The economic cost of nonmedical use of prescription opioids in the United States totals more than $50 billion annually; lost productivity and crime account for the vast majority (94%) of these costs.
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infants and young children are often unable to verbalize pain or advocate for themselves which may increase their risk for poor pain assessment and management. Although patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) has been shown to be safe, effective, and superior to intermittent opioid dosing, infants and young children are not able to operate PCA independently. Allowing a parent or nurse to operate the PCA for the child [parent/nurse-controlled analgesia (PNCA)] may be an option for these children. However, the use of PNCA has been heavily scrutinized and more evidence of safety is needed to support this practice. ⋯ diligent monitoring and education are crucial to ensure safety. Untoward side effects adverse events and pain scores suggest PNCA may be an effective method of pain control for this patient population.
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acute burn pain management has advanced significantly, yet little is known about long-term pain outcomes after severe burn injury. Even less is known about patient satisfaction with pain management after burn injury. This study examined the long-term pain and psychological outcomes of burn survivors who were treated at the Burns Service of Western Australia between 1994 and 2005. ⋯ collectively, these findings suggest a significant proportion of severely injured burn survivors continue to experience persistent pain and point to the need to identify and treat persistent pain more effectively. Moreover, assessing and managing pain treatment expectations during the early phase of recovery postburn may yield improved levels of patient satisfaction with treatment received
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pain is one of the most prevalent symptoms in patients with advanced cancer and, according to anecdotal reports, perhaps the most feared. Surprisingly, fear of pain has been the subject of little research within cancer care. The literature on chronic noncancer pain, however, suggests that fear of pain contributes to limitations in function in populations with diverse chronic illness. Little is known about the extent to which such findings might generalize from patients with chronic noncancer pain to those with chronic cancer pain. Therefore, this research examined the extent to which fear of pain is associated with limitations in function in patients with advanced cancer and also compared patients with chronic cancer and noncancer pain. ⋯ the findings emphasize the importance of psychological dimensions of pain in patients with advanced cancer, as well as the similarities and differences between the 2 groups of patients suffering from chronic pain.