Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2010
ReviewA review of the literature on the multiple dimensions of chronic pain in adults with sickle cell disease.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major health care and societal problem that affects millions of people worldwide. In Nigeria, 45,000 to 90,000 babies are born each year with SCD. In the United States, SCD is the most common genetic disorder, affecting more than 80,000 people, the majority of whom are African American. ⋯ The primary purpose of this literature review was to summarize the findings from studies that evaluated the characteristics of chronic pain in adults with SCD. Each of the studies included in this review was evaluated to determine if it provided data on the following multidimensional characteristics of chronic pain: occurrence, number of pain episodes, duration, pattern, quality, location, intensity, aggravating factors, relieving factors, and impact of pain on function. A secondary purpose was to identify gaps in knowledge and directions for future research on the multiple dimensions of chronic pain in adults with SCD.
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In addition to the effectiveness of terminal care, policy makers and health care payers are concerned about the costs of treating terminal patients in a context of spiraling health care costs and limited resources. ⋯ Different approaches to deliver palliative care are not substitutes of each other and, thus, have different costs. From a cost perspective, hospitals need to pay attention to admitting patients to the palliative care unit at the right time.
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Therapeutic Reviews aim to provide essential independent information for health professionals about drugs used in palliative and hospice care. The content is also available on www.palliativedrugs.com and will feature in future editions of the Hospice and Palliative Care Formulary USA and its British and Canadian counterparts. The series editors welcome feedback on the articles (hq@palliativedrugs.com).