The Clinical journal of pain
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The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of outpatient group treatment for chronic pain patients and their spouses on psychological symptomatology, marital adjustment, and locus of control. There was a significant improvement in mean scores on four of the seven measures pre- and post-treatment. ⋯ It also supports other findings for the effectiveness of brief group therapy programs for chronic pain patients. Although this study has several limitations the results warrant further investigation using control groups and a larger sample size.
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One hundred-eight questionnaires were mailed to Pain and Headache Centers evenly spread throughout Italy to evaluate the current status of pain clinics and therapy. Sixty-three centers (58.3%) responded: fifty-two (82.5%) were Pain Clinics, while eleven (17.5%) were Headache Clinics. Approximately half of the clinics were run by anesthesiologists (43.3%), followed by neurosurgeons (15%), and neurologists (10%). ⋯ A multidisciplinary team approach was used by 65% of the respondents. Treatment modalities most frequently used were drugs (mean utilization index, MUI: 138), followed by anesthesiological methods (MUI: 70), neuroaugmentive procedures (MUI: 51), psychiatric and psychophysiological methods (MUI: 33), and neurosurgical procedures (MUI: 28). Mean percent immediate and long-term treatment successes (pain relief 50%) were the following: (a) cancer pain (74.7-63.3%): (b) non-oncologic pain (66.7-50.3%); (c) chronic primary headache (64.2-52.6%); and (d) orofacial pain (64.2-52.5%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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The efficacy of self-hypnosis in the treatment of chronic pain was evaluated using a multiple baseline design for five patients referred to the Auckland Hospital Pain Clinic. Subjects were selected for high hypnotisability using the Stanford Hypnotic Clinical Scale. Daily records of pain intensity, sleep quality, medication requirements, and self-hypnosis practice were completed. ⋯ The patients showed an increase in personal locus of control and a shift of self-concept away from physical illness on the ISCRG. The results suggest that self-hypnosis can be a highly effective technique for some patients with chronic pain but not for all. Selection criteria and clinical factors other than hypnotisability need to be considered in further research, since even highly hypnotisable subjects may derive limited benefit from self-hypnosis.
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The continuous subcutaneous infusion of buprenorphine, a new approach to the relief of severe cancer pain, has been carried out using a portable infusion pump. The efficacy of this method was examined in 30 patients by visual analogue scale. ⋯ The minimum effective blood concentration was not detectable by high-performance liquid chromatography. Advantages of this therapy are its simplicity, applicability in many types of cancer, multiple sites of administration, and easier training on the part of health personnel.