Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Retraction Of PublicationPain and Policy Studies Group: Two decades of working to address regulatory barriers to improve opioid availability and accessibility around the world.
For two decades, the Pain & Policy Studies Group (PPSG), a global research program at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, has worked passionately to fulfill its mission of improving pain relief by achieving balanced access to opioids worldwide. PPSG's early work highlighted the conceptual framework of balance leading to the development of the seminal guidelines and criteria for evaluating opioid policy. ⋯ The PPSG disseminates its work online in several ways, including an extensive Web site, news alerts, and through several social media outlets. PPSG has become the focal point for expertise on policy governing drug control and medicine and pharmacy practice related to opioid availability and pain relief.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Unmet palliative care needs among patients with end-stage kidney disease: a national registry study about the last week of life.
End-stage kidney disease (ESKD) is characterized by high physical and psychological burden, and therefore, more knowledge about the palliative care provided close to death is needed. ⋯ Even if death is expected, most patients dying with ESKD had unmet palliative care needs regarding symptom management, advance care planning, and bereavement support.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyResults of a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study of Nabiximols Oromucosal Spray as Adjunctive Therapy in Advanced Cancer Patients With Chronic Uncontrolled Pain.
Prior Phase 2/3 studies found that cannabinoids might provide adjunctive analgesia in advanced cancer patients with uncontrolled pain. ⋯ Nabiximols might have utility in patients with advanced cancer who receive a lower opioid dose, such as individuals with early intolerance to opioid therapy.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
ReviewHow well do current measures assess the impact of advance care planning on concordance between patient preferences for end of life care and the care received: A methodological review.
Research has begun to focus on whether Advance Care Planning (ACP) has the capacity to influence care, and to examine whether ACP can be effective in meeting patients' wishes at the end of their lives. Little attention has been paid, however, to the validity and clinical relevance of existing measures. ⋯ Methodological variations and weaknesses compromise the validity of study results, and prevent meaningful comparisons between studies or synthesis of the results. Effectively evaluating whether ACP interventions enhance a patient's capacity to receive the care they want requires harmonization of research. This demands standardization of methods across studies, validating of instruments, and consensus based on a consistent conceptual framework regarding what constitutes a meaningful outcome measure.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Meta AnalysisDrugs for treating opioid-induced constipation: A mixed treatment comparison network meta-analysis of randomized controlled clinical trials.
Opioid-induced constipation is a common problem associated with chronic use of opioid analgesics. ⋯ Subcutaneous methyl naltrexone was found to perform better than other interventions for managing opioid-induced constipation.