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
Psychometric Analysis of the Parenting Concerns Questionnaire in Women with Metastatic Cancer.
Parenting concerns are a major source of distress for patients with advanced cancer. However, validated tools to measure this construct in advanced cancer patients are lacking. ⋯ The PCQ assesses a unique aspect of psychological distress in cancer patients. It demonstrated adequate reliability and convergent validity, but its original three-factor structure was not supported in a population of patients with metastatic cancer. The PCQ would benefit from further testing and refinement to enhance its representation of parenting concerns in metastatic cancer.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Observational StudyEffects of Androgen Deprivation Therapy on Pain Perception, Quality-of-Life and Depression in Men with Prostate Cancer.
Previous animal and human research suggests that testosterone has antinociceptive properties. Castration in male rodents increases pain perception which is reversed by testosterone replacement. Pain perception also improves in hypogonadal men with testosterone therapy. However, it remains unclear whether androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in men with prostate cancer (PCa) is associated with an increase in pain perception. ⋯ ADT in men with PCa is associated with worsening of depression scores and QOL but is not associated with changes in clinical pain or pain sensitivity.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Multiple Symptoms in Family Caregivers of Intensive Care Unit Patients.
Intensive care unit (ICU) patients experience physical and psychological challenges related to ICU admission in the acute and recovery phases after a critical illness. Involvement of family caregivers (FCs) is essential in the patients' struggle to survive critical illness. FCs report a high symptom burden related to ICU admission. Previous research has investigated mainly single symptoms. Little is known about multiple symptom burden related to FC experiences in an ICU. ⋯ FCs of ICU patients experience multiple symptoms, among which, psychological symptoms are most occurring. Age, relationship to the patient, and comorbidities were significantly associated with the number of symptoms reported by FCs. Comprehensive symptom assessment may identify FCs who are at risk of developing a high symptom burden when the patient is admitted to the ICU.
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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.