scholarly journals Predictive variables of prescription opioid misuse in patients with chronic noncancer pain. Development of a risk detection scale: A registered report protocol

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. e0251586
Author(s):  
Carmen Ramírez-Maestre ◽  
Alicia E. López-Martínez ◽  
Rosa Esteve

Background Opioid therapy is utilized for a broad range of chronic pain conditions. Several studies have highlighted the adverse effects of opioid medication due to the misuse of these drugs. The gradual increase in the use of opioids has become a global phenomenon and is generating social concern. Several treatment guidelines have strongly recommended assessing the risks and benefits of pharmacological treatment with opioids. These guidelines also recommend the psychological assessment of patients with chronic noncancer pain in order to make informed decisions on the advisability of intervention with opioids. Some authors have emphasized the relevance of assessing the risk of opioid misuse in patients with noncancer chronic pain before initiating treatment. Methods and analysis Two studies will be conducted, each with a different primary objective. The primary objective of the first study (Study 1) will be to conduct a comprehensive investigation to identify the factors most closely associated with subsequent opioid misuse; and based on the results of Study 1, the primary objective of the second study (Study 2) will be to develop a brief, reliable, valid, and useful instrument that would enable health care providers to make decisions on opioid prescription and on the required level of monitoring and follow-up. These decisions would have positive consequences for patient wellbeing. Study 1 will include a logistic regression analysis to test the hypothetical model. Study 2 will have a longitudinal design and include three assessment sessions in order to develop a measure to assess the risk of prescribed opioid misuse and to analyse its reliability and validity. Participants will be individuals with chronic noncancer pain attending three Pain Units. These individuals will either be undergoing pharmacological treatment that includes opioid analgesics (Study 1, N = 400) or are going to commence such treatment (Study 2, N = 250).

2019 ◽  
pp. 339-354
Author(s):  
Marc O. Martel ◽  
Robert N. Jamison

Chapter 20 provides an introduction to understanding the prevalence and risk factors as well as screening tools for assessing opioid misuse and addiction in patients with chronic pain. In the era of the opioid epidemic in North America and beyond, the use of prescription opioid medications to help improve function in chronic noncancer pain is frequently debated. Out of fear of iatrogenic addiction, litigation, and/or potential medication misuse, some clinicians are refusing to prescribe opioids for chronic pain. Evidence indicates that rates of opioid misuse and addiction are fairly high among chronic pain patients prescribed long-term opioid therapy, but there is consensus that opioids can be safe and effective for carefully selected and monitored patients.


Pain Medicine ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (11) ◽  
pp. 2166-2178 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalila R Veiga ◽  
Liliane Mendonça ◽  
Rute Sampaio ◽  
José M Castro-Lopes ◽  
Luís F Azevedo

Abstract Objectives Opioid use in chronic pain has increased worldwide in recent years. The aims of this study were to describe the trends and patterns of opioid therapy over two years of follow-up in a cohort of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP) patients and to assess predictors of long-term opioid use and clinical outcomes. Methods A prospective cohort study with two years of follow-up was undertaken in four multidisciplinary chronic pain clinics. Demographic data, pain characteristics, and opioid prescriptions were recorded at baseline, three, six, 12, and 24 months. Results Six hundred seventy-four CNCP patients were recruited. The prevalence of opioid prescriptions at baseline was 59.6% (N = 402), and 13% (N = 86) were strong opioid prescriptions. At 24 months, opioid prescription prevalence was as high as 74.3% (N = 501), and strong opioid prescription was 31% (N = 207). Most opioid users (71%, N = 479) maintained their prescription during the two years of follow-up. Our opioid discontinuation was very low (1%, N = 5). Opioid users reported higher severity and interference pain scores, both at baseline and after two years of follow-up. Opioid use was independently associated with continuous pain, pain location in the lower limbs, and higher pain interference scores. Conclusions This study describes a pattern of increasing opioid prescription in chronic pain patients. Despite the limited improvement of clinical outcomes, most patients keep their long-term opioid prescriptions. Our results underscore the need for changes in clinical practice and further research into the effectiveness and safety of chronic opioid therapy for CNPC.


2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 499-509
Author(s):  
Elizabeth C. Danielson, PhD ◽  
Christopher A. Harle, PhD ◽  
Sarah M. Downs, MPH ◽  
Laura Militello, MA ◽  
Olena Mazurenko, MD, PhD

Objective: The 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guideline for prescribing opioids for chronic pain aimed to assist primary care clinicians in safely and effectively prescribing opioids for chronic noncancer pain. Individual states, payers, and health systems issued similar policies imposing various regulations around opioid prescribing for patients with chronic pain. Experts argued that healthcare organizations and clinicians may be misapplying the federal guideline and subsequent opioid prescribing policies, leading to an inadequate pain management. The objective of this study was to understand how primary care clinicians involve opioid prescribing policies in their treatment decisions and in their conversations with patients with chronic pain.Design: We conducted a secondary qualitative analysis of data from 64 unique primary care visits and 87 post-visit interviews across 20 clinicians from three healthcare systems in the Midwestern United States. Using a multistep process and thematic analysis, we systematically analyzed data excerpts addressing opioid prescribing policies.Results: Opioid prescribing policies influenced clinicians’ treatment decisions to not initiate opioids, prescribe fewer opioids overall (theme #1), and begin tapering and discontinuation of opioids (theme #2) for most patients with chronic pain. Clinical precautions, described in the opioid prescribing policies to monitor use, were directly invoked during visits for patients with chronic pain (theme #3).Conclusions: Opioid prescribing policies have multidimensional influence on clinician treatment decisions for patients with chronic pain. Our findings may inform future studies to explore mechanisms for aligning pressures around opioid prescribing, stemming from various opioid prescribing policies, with the need to deliver individualized pain care.


CAND Journal ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 28 (4) ◽  
pp. 11-13
Author(s):  
Shakila Mohmand ◽  
Sumar Chams

Cultural competency within health care helps eliminate racial and ethnic health disparities. When assessing and treating patients with chronic pain, practitioners should feel confident in using information regarding a patient’s individual cultural beliefs due to their significant impact on the pain experience. Culture impacts perception, outlook, and communication of pain, as well as coping mechanisms. These are aspects of subjective history that influence important decisions regarding the management of chronic pain. Becoming more aware of what to look for and which questions to ask can allow naturopathic doctors and other health-care providers to continue improving therapeutic relationships and patient outcomes.


2005 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. 133-144 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary E Lynch

Methadone, although having been available for approximately half a century, is now receiving increasing attention in the management of chronic pain. This is due to recent research showing that methadone exhibits at least three different mechanisms of action including potent opioid agonism, N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonism and monoaminergic effects. This, along with methadone's excellent oral and rectal absorption, high bioavailability, long duration of action and low cost, make it a very attractive option for the treatment of chronic pain. The disadvantages of significant interindividual variation in pharmacokinetics, graduated dose equivalency ratios based on prerotation opioid dose when switching from another opioid, and the requirement for special exemption for prescribing methadone make it more complicated to use. The present review is intended to educate physicians interested in adding methadone to their armamentarium for assisting patients with moderate to severe pain.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 254-266
Author(s):  
Barbka Huzjan ◽  
Ivana Hrvatin

Research Question (RQ): Chronic musculoskeletal pain is a complex condition and one of the most important causes of suffering of modern times. Self-management refers to the individual’s ability to manage the symptoms, treatment, physical and psychosocial consequences and life style changes inherent in living with a chronic condition. The research question is; what is the view on the selfmanagement of chronic musculoskeletal pain from the patient's perspective? Purpose: The purpose of this literature review was to review original articles that reported how selfmanagement educational programmes are viewed from the patient’s perspective. Method: We used an integrative review of the literature. The search was conducted from November 2019 to March 2020 on the PubMed, PEDro and OTseeker databases. We included original studies, written in English that examined the patients’ point of view on self-management. The included studies, needed to be conducted on adult patients of both sexes, that were suffering from chronic pain and were educated on self-management of their pain. Two authors independently searched for original studies. Results: Nine article were included in the review. Most of the studies included a multidisciplinary approach. Patients reported they more frequently used passive strategies to manage their pain. They want to be included in the management and be able to communicate with the provider of selfmanagement. There are several positive aspects of a multidisciplinary and groups approach. Organization: Health care providers can encourage an individual to proactively behave through ongoing processes of communication, partnerships and the creation of appropriate self-management plans over time. Society: We assume that the analysis will help to identify the social responsibility of the individual and society in the common concern for the health of the population and the individual within it. Originality: The research provides an up-to-date, new overview of the patients' perspective on self management on chronic pain. The review can be helpful to health care providers s they can compare their expectations with patients's. Limitations / further research: Further research would focus on high quality studies, and specific forms of multidisciplinary approach, and finding what patients use at a home setting and how to help them continue in the self management of their pain. Limitations of this review include the lack of risk of bias assessment and the fact that this is not a systematic review.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amokrane Chebini ◽  
Sina Marzoughi ◽  
Jason Randhawa ◽  
Daphne Guh ◽  
Stephen Wiseman ◽  
...  

Aim: Ketamine is an anesthetic agent that at lower doses can be a potent analgesic. There has been an interest in the use of low dose ketamine in treatment of chronic pain syndromes. Patients & methods: We report the results of a retrospective observational study for patients diagnosed with a chronic noncancer pain syndrome receiving a 2-week continuous subanesthetic IV ketamine infusion. Results & conclusion: We conclude that a 10–14 days of subanesthetic ketamine infusion in chronic patients results in clinically significant lowering of patients' numerical pain score. Further studies looking at subanesthetic ketamine infusion in a prospective trial of multi-day IV ketamine infusion in chronic refractory chronic neuropathic pain are needed to further assess the efficacy of ketamine.


2016 ◽  
Vol 21 ◽  
pp. 46-53
Author(s):  
Nico Nortje ◽  
Willem Hoffmann

A move has taken place internationally in the delivery and “consumption” of health care where if clients and patients (health care consumers) hold the opinion that the health care professionals/providers' behaviour has had a negative effect, impact or outcome on them, they may lodge a complaint with the relevant health professional regulatory body. Ethical transgressions of health care providers can generally be clustered into the following three categories: a) Competence and conduct with clients (e.g. abandonment, sexual intimacies, dishonesty, disclosure of information); b) Business practices (e.g. billing, reports, documentation); and c) Professional practice (e.g. referral upon termination, obtaining appropriate potential employment opportunities, nonprofessional relationships).The primary objective of this study was to analyse the ethical transgressions of registered members of the twelve professional boards in the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA) in the period 2007 to 2013. A mixed methods approach was followed in this study which specifically focused on a historical research approach. The results indicate that the boards with the highest number of transgressions per the registered practitioners were firstly the Medical and Dental practitioners, closely followed by the Optometry and Dispensing Opticians Board. The predominantly complaint made against members of both these boards was for fraudulent conduct (collectively totalling to 85% of all fraudulent cases during the period) and included actions such as charging for non-rendered services, issuing false statements and submitting fraudulent medical aid claims. Cognisance needs to be taken that the South African public will increasingly demand better services and that since they are being better informed via the media of their rights and have access to a broader database of knowledge (rightly or wrongly so the internet) practitioners' opinions will not necessarily be accepted outright and that they (the public) will challenge it accordingly. This raises the concern that practitioners need to take on the responsibility to communicate with their patients/clients in order to educate them and keep them informed. 


Pain Medicine ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (7) ◽  
pp. 1331-1346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven P Cohen ◽  
Zafeer B Baber ◽  
Asokumar Buvanendran ◽  
Brian C McLean ◽  
Yian Chen ◽  
...  

Abstract Background It is nearly impossible to overestimate the burden of chronic pain, which is associated with enormous personal and socioeconomic costs. Chronic pain is the leading cause of disability in the world, is associated with multiple psychiatric comorbidities, and has been causally linked to the opioid crisis. Access to pain treatment has been called a fundamental human right by numerous organizations. The current COVID-19 pandemic has strained medical resources, creating a dilemma for physicians charged with the responsibility to limit spread of the contagion and to treat the patients they are entrusted to care for. Methods To address these issues, an expert panel was convened that included pain management experts from the military, Veterans Health Administration, and academia. Endorsement from stakeholder societies was sought upon completion of the document within a one-week period. Results In these guidelines, we provide a framework for pain practitioners and institutions to balance the often-conflicting goals of risk mitigation for health care providers, risk mitigation for patients, conservation of resources, and access to pain management services. Specific issues discussed include general and intervention-specific risk mitigation, patient flow issues and staffing plans, telemedicine options, triaging recommendations, strategies to reduce psychological sequelae in health care providers, and resource utilization. Conclusions The COVID-19 public health crisis has strained health care systems, creating a conundrum for patients, pain medicine practitioners, hospital leaders, and regulatory officials. Although this document provides a framework for pain management services, systems-wide and individual decisions must take into account clinical considerations, regional health conditions, government and hospital directives, resource availability, and the welfare of health care providers.


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