The Clinical journal of pain
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To examine the incidence of abnormal urine toxicology screening among chronic pain patients prescribed opioids for their pain and to relate these results to patient descriptors and type, number, and dose of prescribed opioids. ⋯ These results confirm past findings that random urine toxicology screens among patients prescribed opioids for pain reveal a high incidence of abnormal findings. Common patient descriptors, and number, type, and dose of prescribed opioids were found to be poor predictors of abnormal results.
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To determine the prevalence of pain and its impact among nursing homes residents with different cognitive and communication abilities. ⋯ Cognitive status does not affect pain prevalence; however, it affects the chronicity and characteristics of reported pain. Self-report of pain-related mood involvement is associated with significant mood scores.
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The sensations of restless legs syndrome (RLS) are described as paresthesias and dysesthesias, sensations which also occur in neuropathic pain. Whether validated pain assessment tools can be used to measure the quality and severity of RLS sensations has not been explored. ⋯ The quality and severity of the sensation of RLS can be measured on the MPQ, and severity calculated from MPQ indices correlates significantly with a standard RLS severity measure. Thus the nonpainful sensations of RLS appear to be a subclinical form of pain.
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To review qualitative, empirical studies exploring the influence of patients' and primary care practitioners' beliefs and expectations on the process of care for chronic musculoskeletal pain. ⋯ To tackle the challenges and conflicts identified within the review, change may have to occur, not just in individual patient and practitioner beliefs and behavior, but also at an organizational and system level, for example, changes in undergraduate and postgraduate education and changes in the organization and availability of health services.
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The aim of this study is to investigate whether quantitative sensory testing with Von Frey monofilaments (VFMs) can be used for the quantification of allodynia in patients with chronic neuropathic pain, and how the pain threshold of affected skin differs from healthy skin. ⋯ We showed that although etiology and pathophysiology of allodynia vary individually, with VFMs the clinical symptom allodynia can be quantified in a simple and practical fashion in almost all patients.