The Clinical journal of pain
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study Clinical Trial
Analgesic effects and pharmacokinetics of a low dose of ketamine preoperatively administered epidurally or intravenously.
The aim of this study was to compare the analgesic effects and pharmacokinetics of epidural versus intravenous administration of low doses of ketamine. ⋯ The results suggest that epidural administration of a low dose of ketamine provides more effective analgesic effects as seen post-operatively than intravenous administration. The prolonged half-life and high plasma sustained concentration of epidural ketamine might account for the difference in analgesic effects.
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Multicenter Study
Rapid improvement in pain management: the Veterans Health Administration and the institute for healthcare improvement collaborative.
Poor pain management persists in health care. Although common practice errors in pain management have been identified and standards and guidelines for pain management have been published, improvement has been modest. With the goal of rapid improvement in pain management, a joint Collaborative (Veterans Health Administration and Institute for Healthcare Improvement) was conducted from May 2000 to January 2001. ⋯ Significant progress toward the target goals was reported during the Collaborative period. This improvement needs to be viewed in the context of a VHA system-wide effort to improve pain management. Data suggest that a program of team formation, goal identification, testing and adaptation of recommended system changes, sharing and feedback of process and outcome information can produce significant change in pain management in a major health care organization.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
What is a meaningful pain reduction in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1?
To investigate the degree of pain reduction in patients with complex regional pain syndrome type 1 (CRPS 1) that can be defined as "successful." ⋯ Relative pain reduction of 50% or more and an absolute pain reduction of at least 3 cm on the VAS are accurate in predicting a successful pain reduction after a given treatment.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical Trial
Development of a neuropathic pain questionnaire.
Ongoing efforts to develop mechanisms-based assessment and treatment of chronic pain have been hindered by the lack of assessment tools differentially sensitive to various phenomena underlying different mechanisms of pain. This study describes the development of an assessment instrument intended to measure neuropathic pain based on qualities of pain as they are inferred from pain descriptors. Subjects were 528 chronic pain patients from several clinics. ⋯ The newly developed instrument, NPQ, may be used for the initial screening of neuropathic pain patients. It also has the ability to provide a quantitative measure for the descriptors important in the diagnosis and assessment of neuropathic pain. Consequently, it can be used for monitoring of neuropathic pain treatments and as an outcome measure.
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Physicians and other healthcare professionals may often be faced with the need to change opioids during the course of a patient's opioid analgesic care due to a number of clinical reasons. The act of converting opioid analgesics, for many physicians, nurses, and pharmacists, who do not receive adequate training, remains a challenging and often uncomfortable aspect of pain treatment. Part of the challenge clinicians face is secondary to the relatively weak literature evidence base that exists to support the equianalgesic ratios provided in textbooks, journals, and other medical resources. ⋯ The purpose of this paper is to provide the clinician with an approach for dealing with the conversion between opioid analgesics that is standardized, yet allows for individualized results to meet unique patient needs. We present a 5-step process as a guide for clinicians faced with the need to change a patient's opioid regimen. This approach may help to build a comfort level when dealing with the clinical challenges of converting from one opioid to another.