The purpose of this study was to systematically review prospective cohort studies to gain insights into risk factors for the development of non-specific neck pain in office workers as well as to assess the strength of evidence. Publications were systematically searched from 1980 - March 2011 in several databases. The ...

Many therapies have been proposed for the management of neuropathic pain, and they include the use of different antiepileptic drugs. However, the lack of high quality studies indicates that results on the different neuropathic disorders under study do not recommend a particular drug treatment. This study makes a systematic review ...

Pain assessment in children with cognitive impairment (CI) is challenging. A quality improvement (QI) project involving evidence-based review of pain assessment tools, feedback from the Family Advisory Council, trialing of selected tools within clinical settings including obtaining feedback from nurses, and parents caring for nonverbal children with developmental delay was ...

OBJECTIVE: To prospectively evaluate the disease course and the performance of clinical, patient-reported outcome (PRO) and musculoskeletal ultrasound measures in patients with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). METHODS: The study population included 85 patients with new-onset PMR who were initially treated with prednisone equivalent dose of 15 mg daily tapered gradually, and ...

BACKGROUNDLaparoscopic segmental resection as a treatment for intestinal endometriosis can be supported by favorable clinical outcomes, but carries a high risk of major complications. The purpose of this study is to evaluate histopathological patterns of colorectal endometriosis and investigate potential relationships between histological findings and clinical data.METHODSWe consecutively included 47 ...

BACKGROUND: Vertebral compression fractures are common in multiple myeloma. Percutaneous vertebroplasty is used to stabilize vertebral collapse and treat the pain. The major technical drawbacks of percutaneous vertebroplasty are the potential for neural comprise and pulmonary embolism of cement from leakage of polymethylmethacrylate into epidural space and perivertebral veins. We ...

Neuropathic pain is a severe health problem for which there is a lack of effective therapy. A frequent underlying condition of neuropathic pain is a sustained overexcitability of pain-sensing (nociceptive) sensory fibres. Therefore, the identification of mechanisms for such abnormal neuronal excitability is of utmost importance for understanding neuropathic pain. ...

STUDY RATIONALE: Pain is one of the most frequent symptoms for which people seek emergency care. Studies show that pain management in emergency clinics is insufficient. No previous studies regarding pain documentation at emergency clinics in the Nordic countries have been undertaken. The main purpose was to investigate the extent ...

The aim of this review is to analyse the evidence related to the relationship between facial expression and pain assessment tools in the critically ill non-communicative patients. Pain assessment is a significant challenge in critically ill adults, especially those who are unable to communicate their pain level. During critical illness, ...

Few standardized tools measure pain in nonverbal patients in the intensive care unit (ICU). Evidence exists that patient behaviors provide important information about pain in those unable to report their pain. The Nonverbal Pain Assessment Tool (NPAT), a behavioral pain assessment tool, was developed for the nonverbal adult patient in ...

The assessment of pain experienced by the patient requiring mechanical ventilation can be a challenge for critical care nurses. This study was conducted to assess the reliability and validity of two pain behavior assessment tools. Patients who met the inclusion criteria were enrolled from 13 critical care units and one ...

Pain assessment conventionally has been viewed hierarchically with self-report as its "gold-standard." Recent attempts to improve pain management have focused on the importance of assessment, for example, the initiative to include pain as the "fifth vital sign." We question the focus in the conceptualization of pain assessment upon a "vital ...

Before caesarean section is performed under regional anaesthesia the block should be assessed, preferably using a touch stimulus. What constitutes a touch stimulus remains unclear. The aim of this study was to compare a Neuropen monofilament with ethyl chloride in the assessment of touch. Forty women undergoing elective caesarean section ...

It has been proposed that a systematic pain assessment increases the awareness of the need to treat and prevent pain, and most international and national neonatal pain guidelines state that pain assessment should be performed in a systematic way. National surveys show a wide variation in compliance to these guidelines. ...

Opioids are used in controlling several types of pain. This study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the fentanyl transdermal patch-type system (Durogesic® D-TRANS). Patients who complained of chronic moderate to severe pain were enrolled. Administration dosages of fentanyl patch started from 12.5 μg/h and could be ...

Pain is an unpleasant, subjective sensation and a universal human experience. However, under-recognition of pain in people with dementia is common; with verbal and behavioural expressions of pain misunderstood or not recognised and therefore untreated, to the detriment of the person with dementia. Care staff's success or otherwise in recognising, ...

To describe approaches to pain assessment in cognitively intact and cognitively impaired older adults with cancer. MEDLINE literature search, personal reference collection, and clinical experience. A systematic and comprehensive pain assessment is the cornerstone of effective treatment strategies. Determining the effect of pain on older adults' ability to function is ...

Improving pain management is important in pre-hospital settings. We aimed to investigate how pain was managed in pre-hospital suspected acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or fracture and how this could be improved. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Lincolnshire using recorded suspected AMI and fracture between April 2005 and March 2006. ...

Objective Pain is one of the six general discriminators of the Manchester triage system (MTS). The frequency of pain assessments conducted at triage with the MTS, and patient, nurse and triage characteristics associated with pain assessments were studied. Also, nurses' reasons for not assessing pain at triage were studied. Methods ...

The outcomes of aesthetic and functional nasal surgery are difficult to assess objectively because of the intricate balance between nasal form and function. Despite historical emphasis on patient-reported subjective measures, objective measures are gaining importance in both research and the current outcomes-driven health care environment. Objective measures currently available have ...

The purpose of the present article was to assess the available literature concerning pain and autism. First, authors summarized the published articles on pain reactivity in people with autism. Second, the hypotheses envisaged to explain the presence of expressive particularities in people with autism spectrum disorders were reviewed; these included ...

BACKGROUND: Accurate assessment and management of pain in critically ill patients who are nonverbal or cognitively impaired is challenging. No widely accepted assessment tool is currently in place for assessing pain in these patients. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effect of implementing a new pain assessment tool in a trauma/neurosurgery intensive ...

Clinical teachers are often involved in assessing clinical competence in the workplace, in universities and colleges. Assessments commonly used to formally assess clinical competence include long and short cases and the objective structured clinical examination which, if well designed, is a fair and reliable method of assessing clinical competence.

This project sought to determine improve local practice in managing patients with cancer. It involved by: educating Registered Nurses on the importance of pain assessment, and ensuring this practice is done according to the current best available evidence and monitoring compliance with the audit criteria. This project utilised a pre- ...

Across all care settings for older patients, pain is often ineffectively managed. A gap still exists between best-practice recommendations for pain assessment/treatment and current clinical practice, despite the availability of guidelines. Using a validated pain scale is critical to objectively evaluate pain intensity. Assessing pain in patients with cognitive impairment ...

OBJECTIVE: Summarize practical strategies for recognizing and assessing pain in the long-term care population, particularly for cognitively impaired residents. DATA SOURCES: Live symposium presentation based on clinical practice and research and current clinical guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: Pain that is under-recognized and undertreated can result in significant physical and social disability in ...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We have revised the previous EFNS guidelines on neuropathic pain (NP) assessment, which aimed to provide recommendations for the diagnostic process, screening tools and questionnaires, quantitative sensory testing (QST), microneurography, pain-related reflexes and evoked potentials, functional neuroimaging and skin biopsy. METHODS: We have checked and rated the ...

Several tools are available for the assessment and measurement of stress and pain. While it takes time and money to train practitioners in their use, this will soon be offset by benefits in terms of patient care, satisfaction and reduced costs.

Many tools are available for the assessment of pain in nonverbal older adults; however, guidelines are needed to help clinicians select the proper instrument for use in the nursing home setting. This article describes a project to identify clinically useful pain-behavioral assessment tools that have undergone sufficient psychometric testing. Phase ...

Pain assessment in patients who are unable to verbally communicate is a challenging problem. The fundamental limitations in pain assessment in neonates stem from subjective assessment criteria, rather than quantifiable and measurable data. This often results in poor quality and inconsistent treatment of patient pain management. Recent advancements in pattern ...

STUDY DESIGN: Neck-pain and control group comparative analysis of conventional and virtual reality (VR)-based assessment of cervical range of motion (CROM). OBJECTIVES: To use a tracker-based VR system to compare CROM of individuals suffering from chronic neck pain with CROM of asymptomatic individuals; to compare VR system results with those ...

This study's objective was to ascertain emergency department (ED) patient preferences for pain assessment frequency. This was a prospective, convenience-sample trial of all-diagnosis adults with pain at least 3/10, in an academic ED (census 90 000). Using a computer-based automated pain tracker, patients entered initial pain level and indicated how ...

The sacroiliac joint (SIJ) is an integral part of both the lumbar spine and the pelvic girdle. It is frequently the source of low back pain and pelvic girdle pain. Recent research has permitted a deeper understanding of its function and assessment. The mechanical assessment of the SIJ as a ...

To examine and compare the psychometric properties of two common observational pain assessment tools used in persons with dementia. In a cross-sectional descriptive study nursing home (NH) residents were videotaped at rest and during a structured movement procedure. Following one training session and one practice session, two trained graduate nursing ...

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The present editorial review examines current psychological assessment practices in obesity surgery programs, reasons for making such assessments and data obtained prior to surgery and during follow-up. It summarizes findings from previous review articles and reports on new research findings that have been published between August 2006 ...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the usefulness of registered nurses' (RNs) and nursing assistants' (NAs) pain report among 304 institutional older people with dementia and elucidate the factors influencing the agreement of pain reports within dyadic assessors. BACKGROUND: Using informant reports has been suggested as an effective strategy to solve ...

The primary focus of pain research in intellectually disabled individuals is still on pain assessment. Several observational pain assessment scales are available, each with its own characteristics, its own target group and its own validated use. Observational studies report differences in the treatment of intra- and postoperative pain of intellectually ...

This study explored pain assessment measures and interventions used by physical therapists in the treatment of children with neurologic impairment. Following extensive literature review on pain assessment and intervention, a survey was developed, pilot tested, and posted on the listserv of the Pediatric Section of the American Physical Therapy Association. ...

Standardization of the measurement of pain in clinical trials will reduce variability, thus improving the quality of the data and reducing the number of patients needed to conduct pain trials. Standardization applies to the physical and psychosocial environment surrounding the patient, and there are many elements within this environment that ...

Relatives and staff often poorly estimate pain, especially in the cognitively impaired.

BACKGROUND: Critically ill patients frequently experience pain, but assessment rates remain below 40% in mechanically ventilated patients. Whether pain assessment affects patient outcomes is largely unknown. METHODS: As part of a prospective cohort study of mechanically ventilated patients who received analgesia on day 2 of their stay in the intensive ...

Dementia may alter the experience of pain and the ability to communicate it; this will, in turn, result in poor pain detection and inadequate treatment. The aim of this literature review is to identify the observational pain scales that have clinical utility and feasibility for use with people living with ...

The aim of this article is to report the development and preliminary testing of a prototype computerized adaptive test of chronic pain (CHRONIC PAIN-CAT) conducted in 2 stages: (1) evaluation of various item selection and stopping rules through real data-simulated administrations of CHRONIC PAIN-CAT; (2) a feasibility study of the ...

Evaluation of pain in the clinical setting is an ongoing challenge for veterinarians, researchers and IACUCs. Behavioral assessment, a common technique for evaluating pain, is subjective and difficult to translate into quantifiable data. The authors propose measuring changes in body weight, food consumption and water consumption as a simple and ...

AIM: This was to review what is known about pain assessment in children with intellectual disabilities and to translate findings into clinical dental practice. METHODS: Literature review. REVIEW: The association between anxiety and pain as reported in the literature was explored. The specific pain expressions for individuals with Down's syndrome ...

Ultrasound is a valuable imaging modality for evaluation of patients presenting with wrist pain. An important advantage is the ability to correlate the site of pain or discomfort with the underlying sonographic appearance. The capacity to dynamically assess the wrist and use the contralateral asymptomatic wrist for comparison purposes are ...

BACKGROUND: Although a variety of national organizations such as the Canadian Pain Society, the American Pain Society and the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Health Care Organizations have advanced the idea that pain should be assessed on a routine basis, there is little evidence that systematic pain assessment information is ...

Fibromyalgia (FM) has historically been considered a chronic pain condition. Recent clinical studies, however, reveal that while pain may be the cardinal symptom of FM, there are many other symptoms and consequences of having FM that have an impact on the lives of individuals with this condition. As such, an ...

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to compare gender differences in retrospective reports of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) symptoms resulting from two different assessment methods: the open-ended inquiry and the combined assessment approach. Women reported more atypical symptoms in their responses to the open-ended inquiry and a greater number ...

AIM: This paper is a report of a systematic review describing instruments developed for pain assessment in unconscious or sedated intensive care patients. BACKGROUND: Intensive care patients who are unconscious or sedated are unable to communicate and therefore recognition and assessment of the pain is difficult. To assess these patients' ...