Pain management
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Virtual reality (VR) technologies have been successfully applied to acute pain interventions and recent reviews have suggested their potential utility in chronic pain. The current review highlights the specific relevance of VR interactive gaming technologies for pain-specific intervention, including their current use across a variety of physical conditions. Using the example of graded-exposure treatment for pain-related fear and disability in chronic low back pain, we discuss ways that VR gaming can be harnessed to optimize existing chronic pain therapies and examine the potential limitations of traditional VR interfaces in the context of chronic pain. We conclude by discussing directions for future research on VR-mediated applications in chronic pain.
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Post surgical pain is a continuing major medical challenge despite all the advances in understanding acute pain and the development of new modalities of pain management. Since 1985 when the first acute pain service (APS) was started, many organizations initiated APS protocols and guidelines and it became mandatory to have an APS in all major acute care centers. This review focuses on the stages of development of APS and the challenges of postoperative pain management to provide optimal analgesia. Further clinical studies are required to determine best medication regimen for post-operative pain management.
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Review
Future implications of eHealth interventions for chronic pain management in underserved populations.
Many underserved communities, especially those in rural settings, face unique challenges that make high quality healthcare less accessible. The implementation of eHealth technologies has become a potentially valuable option to disseminate interventions. ⋯ Two major concerns are the lack of technological resources and the lack of appropriate materials for patients who may have low levels of reading, health and/or digital literacy. We will propose some recommendations to address common barriers faced by those providing care.
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The field of pain medicine is at a crossroads given the epidemic of addiction and overdose deaths from prescription opioids. Cannabis and its active ingredients, cannabinoids, are a much safer therapeutic option. ⋯ To make progress, cannabis needs to be re-branded as a legitimate medicine and rescheduled to a more pharmacologically justifiable class of compounds. This paper discusses the data supporting re-branding and rescheduling of cannabis.
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A multitude of studies have focused on individual additives to local anesthetics and their effect on quality, onset, duration, spread and selectivity, as well as the potential toxic effects of their use. This review aims to give a broad overview of the current evidence in this developing field, based on beneficial and adverse effects of these drugs. We discuss the limitations of the available data and hope to convey implications and future perspectives for clinicians and researchers alike.