Pain medicine : the official journal of the American Academy of Pain Medicine
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Observational Study
First-year trajectories of medical cannabis use among adults taking opioids for chronic pain: an observational cohort study.
To describe first-year trajectories of medical cannabis use and identify characteristics associated with patterns of use in a cohort of adults using opioids for chronic pain. ⋯ Three clusters of medical cannabis use patterns emerged and were stable over time. Results suggest that structural factors related to race/ethnicity and employment may be major drivers of medical cannabis use, even among adults certified for its use.
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Inadequately treated pain and distress elicited by medical procedures can put children at higher risk of acute and chronic biopsychosocial sequelae. Children can benefit from hypnotherapy, a psychologically tailored intervention, as an adjunct to pharmacological agents to address the multiple components of pain and distress. Despite providing evidence on the effectiveness and potential superiority of hypnotherapy to other psychological interventions, research on hypnotherapy for pediatric procedural pain and distress has been predominantly limited to oncology and needle procedures. Plus, there is a lack of reporting of intervention manuals, factors influencing hypnotic responding, pain unpleasantness outcomes, theoretical frameworks, adverse events, as well as barriers and facilitators to the feasibility of delivering the intervention and study procedures. The proposed review aims to map the range and nature of the evidence on hypnotherapy for procedural pain and distress in children to identify gaps in literature and areas requiring further investigation. ⋯ Findings are anticipated to guide future research and inform the development of tailored hypnotic interventions in children.
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To examine the impact of three sequential statewide policy and legislative interventions on opioid prescribing practices among privately insured individuals in North Carolina. ⋯ The voluntary prescription drug monitoring program launched in 2010 only marginally affected opioid prescribing patterns on its own, but its redeployment as an investigative and clinical tool in multifaceted public policy approaches by the state medical board and legislature later in the decade plausibly contributed to notable declines in prescription rates and days' supply. This study lends new emphasis to the importance of enforcement mechanisms for state and national policies seeking to reverse this critical public health crisis.
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Observational Study
Prevalence and impact of dysmenorrhea among University students in Ireland.
Primary dysmenorrhea (PD), or painful menstruation, is a common gynecological condition that can cause intense pain and functional disability in women of reproductive age. As a nonmalignant condition, PD is relatively understudied and poorly managed. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence and impact of PD among third-level students in Ireland. ⋯ This article presents the first investigation into PD among third-level students in Ireland. Poorly managed menstrual pain may impact functional ability across several domains. Future research should focus on improving menstrual pain management education and support and promoting menstrual health literacy for women affected by PD.
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The study was conducted to determine the prevalence of dysmenorrhea and investigate factors associated with dysmenorrhic pain among university students in Lahore, Pakistan. ⋯ The study revealed an alarmingly high prevalence of dysmenorrhea among university students. High levels of stress and early menarche were the potent determinants of moderate/severe dysmenorrhea that disturbs quality of life.