Objective: Pain is associated with increased risk for harmful substance use. Substance use also may increase levels of pain, suggesting that these two factors may reciprocally increase risk. The current study examined the reciprocal association between pain and substance use outcomes (i.e., alcohol, cannabis, and painkillers/seda-tives/tranquilizers [PSTs]) longitudinally in a nationally representative cohort of non-incarcerated U.S. citizens. Method: Adult (≥18 years old) survey data from Waves 2–4 of the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health (PATH) study were used. The PATH is a nationally representative multiwave cohort survey (Wave 2: October 2014–October 2015, Wave 3: October 2015–October 2016, Wave 4: December 2016–January 2018). Cross-lagged panel models were used to estimate the reciprocal effects of pain intensity and substance use on subsequent changes in both variables. Substance use outcomes were substance use problems and greater-than-weekly use for cannabis and PSTs, total past-month drinks, and alcohol use exceeding moderate drinking guidelines. All models controlled for autoregressive effects and demographic covariates. Results: Pain intensity showed a positive prospective association with all substance use outcomes. All cannabis and PST use were positively associated with subsequent pain intensity. Alcohol use problems also predicted higher levels of pain intensity. Neither total past-month drinks nor exceeding moderate drinking guidelines predicted subsequent pain intensity. Conclusions: Pain and substance use show a reciprocal association and may act in a positive feedback loop to worsen both conditions over time in people with a history of use.

Background: Pain is a common postoperative experience. Guidelines recommend performing regular pain assessments, which include self-rated pain and additional communication to capture patients' experiences. During hospitalisation, pain intensity is found to be a vital factor influencing other aspects of an early physical recovery, and is consequently an important item in questionnaires for recovery. These tools consist of extensive questionnaires which are difficult to use in everyday clinical work. A simplified method of monitoring postoperative recovery would benefit both patients and healthcare professionals. Aim: The overall aim of this thesis was twofold: (A) to determine the ability of extending the use of pain ratings to reflect and predict early physical postoperative recovery and (B) to describe patients’ perspectives on pain assessments. Methods: The studies were carried out at one (I), three (IV) and four hospitals (II, III) involving general surgical and orthopaedic inpatients. Two quantitative methods were used based on data from questionnaires and medical records. They consisted of one cross-sectional study (I) and one study with repeated measures (IV). An association was sought between pain intensity and postoperative recovery on days 1 and 2 (I, IV), and prehospital data (IV). Two qualitative methods were used involving a phenomenographic (III) approach and Critical Incident Technique (IV), where semi-structured interviews were performed postoperatively and analysed inductively in accordance with the approach. Results: An association was found between moderate/severe average pain intensity compiled from monitoring records and impact on early physical postoperative recovery on day 1 (I). Retrospective average pain intensity at rest and during activity reflected impact on recovery on postoperative day 1 (IV). Severe pain intensity at rest and during activity on postoperative day 1 predicted impact on physical recovery items on day 2 (IV). The use of the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS 0-10) was considered to facilitate communication about pain, but to involve difficulties of interpretation and place demand on healthcare professionals and care routines (II). Patients’ descriptions of their experiences when in need of describing pain indicated two main areas: patients’ resources when needing to describe pain and ward resources for performing pain assessments (III). Descriptions of their actions when they were in pain indicated two main areas: patients used active strategies when needing to describe pain or patients used passive strategies when needing to describe pain (III). Conclusions: This thesis contributes to knowledge about the possibility of using patients' self-rated average pain intensity to reflect early physical postoperative recovery on day 1 and to predict recovery on the following day. The pain scale gave patients and healthcare professionals a shared vocabulary, which facilitated communication. Furthermore, dialogue during pain assessments was described as critical in ascertaining whether pain intensity had an impact on different aspects of physical recovery. Environmental factors such as the attitude of healthcare professionals, workload and staffing influenced how pain assessments were performed.

No description available.

Pain from the musculoskeletal system is very common in the modern society. Chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes causes not only individual suffering but also dysfunctions of movements and postural control, as large costs for the society. In spite of significant efforts, there is a shortage of knowledge on effective prevention, diagnoses and rehabilitation of different chronic musculoskeletal pain syndromes. The general aims of this thesis was to investigate the predictive value of physical, sociodemographic, and psychosocial-behavioural variables for pain reduction after multimodal rehabilitation in patients with chronic low back or neck pain, and to develop and evaluate tests for objective and quantitative evaluation of characteristic sensorimotor disturbances in chronic neck pain. Logistic regression models revealed that unchanged pain intensity could be predicted with good precision while reduced pain intensity after rehabilitation was poorly predicted by the baseline variables. Altered pain intensity in chronic low back pain was predicted by high pain intensity, low levels of pain severity and high affective distress, while reduced pain intensity for patients with chronic neck pain were predicted by high endurance, low age, high pain intensity, low need of being social along with optimistic attitudes on how the pain will interfere with daily life, and few vegetative symptoms. One of the conclusions was that objective measures of specific sensorimotor disturbances should improve the precision by which treatment-induced effects can be assessed and predicted. A study was designed to objectively and quantitatively evaluate a large numbers of different sensorimotor characteristics in a small group of patients with chronic neck pain of different aetiology (whiplash-related and insidious). Kinematic data was recorded during different motor tasks, involving cervical rotations, arm movements and standing. In comparison to a group of asymptomatic control subjects, patients with chronic neck pain was characterised by slower movements, poor balance, reduced cervical stability during perturbations, altered smoothness of movement (jerk index), and reduced movement precision (variable error and variability in range of motion). The sensorimotor variables velocity of arm movements and cervical stability, could correctly classified nearly 90% of the subjects as having chronic neck pain or being asymptomatic. There was a large diversity of sensorimotor disturbances among the individual patients. This was confirmed in a regression model that failed to separate the groups insidious neck pain (sensitivity 44%) and WAD (sensitivity 67%). By investigating associations between the different sensorimotor variables, close relations was found between the repositioning acuity and variability in range of motion, and between standing balance and cervical stability/ standing balance during perturbation. These two groups of variables were only weakly related to each other and to smoothness of movement and movement velocity. The results indicate that chronic neck pain is characterised by specific sensorimotor deficits, and that there are common pathophysiological mechanisms in chronic neck pain of different aetiology. However, the lack of associations between several sensorimotor disturbances indicates that different mechanisms are involved. The thesis indicates that objective sensorimotor tests should be used to improve the quality of functional assessments in chronic neck pain. Methods that objectively and quantitatively measure e.g. movement precision, balance and cervical stability are also needed in order to evaluate current treatment methods and to develop new rehabilitation programs for specific sensorimotor deficits.

Sammanfattning Bakgrund: Upplevelsen av smärta är en inbyggd reflex, som normalt varnar för att något håller på att skadas eller redan har skadats i kroppen, och får kroppen att reagera innan något allvarligt sker. För att kunna ge en patient adekvat smärtbehandling bör en analys av smärtan göras, som förutsättning för att patienten ska kunna få en lämplig smärtbehandling. Smärtskattning är en viktig del av den fullständiga smärtanalysen. Dokumentation av smärtskattningen gör det möjligt att på ett systematiskt sätt utvärdera given smärt behandling. Forskning tyder på att sjuksköterskors smärtskattning innan smärtbehandling, dokumentation av smärtskattningen, smärtskattning innan undersökning och smärtskattning innan omvårdnad är bristfällig. Detta trots att många sjukhus, kommuner och landsting har smärtbehandling som kvalitetsmål. Syfte: Syftet med studien undersöka i viken utsträckning sjuksköterskor smärtskattar och dokumenterar skattning. Vidare var syftet att undersöka om det fanns skillnader mellan divisioner avseende frekvens av smärtskattning och dokumentation av skattningen. Studien avsåg även att undersöka om arbetslivserfarenhet påverkar smärtskattningsfrekvensen. Metod: En kvantitativ jämförande tvärsnittsstudie har utförts. Inklusionskriterier var sjuksköterskor som arbetade kliniskt på en vårdavdelning. Ett studiespecifikt frågeformulär konstruerades, och data bearbetades i SPSS samt med genom meningskoncentrering. Frågeformuläret delades ut på två kirurgavdelningar och en medicinavdelning. Resultat: Signifikant skillnad kunde påvisas mellan kirurgavdelningarna och medicinavdelningen avseende smärtskattning innan smärtbehandling, dokumentation av smärtskattningen, uppföljning och dokumentation av smärtbehandling, smärtskattning innan undersökning och omvårdnad. Tidsbrist tycktes vara den störta anledningen till utebliven dokumentation av skattningen. Slutsats: Utrymme för förbättring hos sjuksköterskorna fanns avseende både smärtskattning och dokumentation.         Nyckelord: Smärta, smärtskattning, smärtbehandling, sjuksköterska, dokumentation / ABSTRACT Introduction: The experience of pain is an intergraded reflex, which normally works as a warning system if something is about to get hurt or already is hurt in the body. This reflex get the body to react, hopefully, before any serious damage happens. Pain assessment is a necessity to be able to give a patient pain management with a successful outcome. Pain intensity is a part of the pain assessment. Recording of the pain intensity makes it possible to evaluate the pain management.  Earlier studies have shown that flaws do exist in the nurses’ recording of the pain intensity; they do not measure the pain intensity before neither medical examination nor nursing. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine in what extent nurses measure patients’ pain intensity and if they record the result of pain intensity. Furthermore, the aim was to investigate if there were any difference internally between the hospitals divisions. This study’s aim was also to examine if there were any gaps between nurses work experience and how often they measure the pain intensity. Method: A quantitative comparative study was made. Inclusion criteria was nurses that worked clinically at a hospital. The sample was 41 nurses who worked at a hospital in center of Sweden.  A study specific questionnaire was made, and data was processed in SPSS and through sentence condensation. Results: Significant difference was proven between the surgical division and the medical division about how often nurses measure patients’ pain intensity and how often they recorded the pain intensity. A lack of time was the main reason why nurses did not record the pain intensity. Conclusion: Nurses could improve the frequency of how often they measure and record pain intensity.      Key Words: Pain, pain intensity, pain management, nurse, recording

SAMMANFATTNING Bakgrund: Upplevelsen av smärta är en inbyggd reflex, som normalt varnar för att något håller på att skadas eller redan har skadats i kroppen, och får kroppen att reagera innan något allvarligt sker. För att kunna ge en patient adekvat smärtbehandling bör en analys av smärtan göras, som förutsättning för att patienten ska kunna få en lämplig smärtbehandling. Smärtskattning är en viktig del av den fullständiga smärtanalysen. Dokumentation av smärtskattningen gör det möjligt att på ett systematiskt sätt utvärdera given smärt behandling. Forskning tyder på att sjuksköterskors smärtskattning innan smärtbehandling, dokumentation av smärtskattningen, smärtskattning innan undersökning och smärtskattning innan omvårdnad är bristfällig. Detta trots att många sjukhus, kommuner och landsting har smärtbehandling som kvalitetsmål. Syfte: Syftet med studien undersöka i viken utsträckning sjuksköterskor smärtskattar och dokumenterar skattning. Vidare var syftet att undersöka om det fanns skillnader mellan divisioner avseende frekvens av smärtskattning och dokumentation av skattningen. Studien avsåg även att undersöka om arbetslivserfarenhet påverkar smärtskattningsfrekvensen. Metod: En kvantitativ jämförande tvärsnittsstudie har utförts. Inklusionskriterier var sjuksköterskor som arbetade kliniskt på en vårdavdelning. Ett studiespecifikt frågeformulär konstruerades, och data bearbetades i SPSS samt med genom meningskoncentrering. Frågeformuläret delades ut på två kirurgavdelningar och en medicinavdelning. Resultat: Signifikant skillnad kunde påvisas mellan kirurgavdelningarna och medicinavdelningen avseende smärtskattning innan smärtbehandling, dokumentation av smärtskattningen, uppföljning och dokumentation av smärtbehandling, smärtskattning innan undersökning och omvårdnad. Tidsbrist tycktes vara den störta anledningen till utebliven dokumentation av skattningen. Slutsats: Utrymme för förbättring hos sjuksköterskorna fanns avseende både smärtskattning och dokumentation.         Nyckelord: Smärta, smärtskattning, smärtbehandling, sjuksköterska, dokumentation / ABSTRACT Introduction: The experience of pain is an intergraded reflex, which normally works as a warning system if something is about to get hurt or already is hurt in the body. This reflex get the body to react, hopefully, before any serious damage happens. Pain assessment is a necessity to be able to give a patient pain management with a successful outcome. Pain intensity is a part of the pain assessment. Recording of the pain intensity makes it possible to evaluate the pain management.  Earlier studies have shown that flaws do exist in the nurses’ recording of the pain intensity; they do not measure the pain intensity before neither medical examination nor nursing. Aim: The aim of this study was to examine in what extent nurses measure patients’ pain intensity and if they record the result of pain intensity. Furthermore, the aim was to investigate if there were any difference internally between the hospitals divisions. This study’s aim was also to examine if there were any gaps between nurses work experience and how often they measure the pain intensity. Method: A quantitative comparative study was made. Inclusion criteria was nurses that worked clinically at a hospital. The sample was 41 nurses who worked at a hospital in center of Sweden.  A study specific questionnaire was made, and data was processed in SPSS and through sentence condensation. Results: Significant difference was proven between the surgical division and the medical division about how often nurses measure patients’ pain intensity and how often they recorded the pain intensity. A lack of time was the main reason why nurses did not record the pain intensity. Conclusion: Nurses could improve the frequency of how often they measure and record pain intensity.      Key Words: Pain, pain intensity, pain management, nurse, recording

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive disease, often leading to disability. Because the disease course develops rapidly during the first years after diagnosis, more knowledge is needed about the early disease course to minimize later disability. This thesis describes the course of disability in early RA such as hand function, pain intensity, activity limitation and sick leave. In addition, this thesis compares disability between women and men and compares disability between RA patients and referents. This thesis is primarily based on data from the 320 patients that were included in the multi-centre project in Sweden called ‘Early interventions in rheumatoid arthritis’ (TIRA). A wide range of outcome variables was registered between 1996 and 2006 during regular follow-ups from time for diagnosis through the eight-year follow-up. Outcome regarding disease activity and disability of RA patients still remaining in TIRA at the three and five year follow-up respectively are used in this thesis. Data concerning sick leave were obtained for the patients during six years (1993-2001) – three years before and three years after diagnosis. Referents were included in two of the studies. Data regarding disability in referents were obtained according to hand function and activity limitation using the Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ). Data for sick leave were obtained for six years in referents, for the same period as the RA patients. For most variables, disability in RA was most pronounced at time of diagnosis but before intervention started. Disability was then reduced already at the 3-month follow-up and thereafter affected but stable during the following five years. The exception was participation, reflected by sick leave, a variable that was stable from inclusion to three years from diagnosis. Activity limitation, pain intensity and sick leave in RA that represents different aspects of disability were explained by other aspects of disability and contextual factors rather than by disease activity. RA affects women and men differently in some aspects. Women had more severe course of activity limitations than men according to HAQ. Men were more affected than women in range of motion, although the differences were small in a clinical perspective. However, pain intensity and frequency of sick leave did not differ between women and men. Patients with RA have pronounced disability in relation to referents although several variables improve soon after diagnosis. This discrepancy refers to hand function as well as activity limitations and sick leave. The frequency of sick leave increased during the year before diagnosis in relation to referents and was thereafter high compared to sick leave in referents.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(人間健康科学) / 甲第22890号 / 人健博第82号 / 新制||人健||6(附属図書館) / 京都大学大学院医学研究科人間健康科学系専攻 / (主査)教授 市橋 則明, 教授 林 悠, 教授 妻木 範行 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Human Health Sciences / Kyoto University / DFAM

Magister Scientiae Dentium - MSc(Dent) / The objective of the study was to compare pain and functional limitation of temporomandibular myalgia patients, before and after low-level-laser treatment (LLLT).This was a prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled, triple-blinded clinical study. Patients diagnosed with temporomandibular myalgia according to the DC/TMD protocol were recruited from the TMD clinic of the Mitchell’s Plain Oral Health Centre. Treatment was performed using diode laser (Sirolaser, Dentsply Sirona). The 3 regions of the masseter and temporalis muscles were treated bilaterally with a dose of 8J/cm2 per region. Pain and function were assessed using pain-free opening, numeric rating scales (NRS), Characteristic Pain Intensity Scores (CPIS), Interference Score (IS), and Jaw Functional Limitation Scale (JFLS) at the first and last LLLT and at 4-week recall (intervals 1, 2, 3). Statistical analysis was done by means of explorative categorical principal and multivariate interdependent analysis.

No / The objective of this article was to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-led medication review in chronic pain management. Six electronic databases (Medline, Embase, PsycInfo, CINHAL, CENTRAL, International Pharmaceutical Abstracts) reference lists of retrieved articles and relevant websites were searched for randomized controlled trials published in the English language involving adults with chronic pain. Studies were included if one of the intervention arms had received pharmacist-led medication review independently or as part of a multidisciplinary intervention. Risk of bias was assessed for all the included studies. The search strategy yielded 583 unique articles including 5 randomized controlled trials. Compared with control, meta-analysis showed that participants in the intervention group had: a 0.8-point reduction in pain intensity on a 0 to 10 numerical rating scale at 3 months [95% confidence interval (CI), -1.28 to -0.36] and a 0.7-point reduction (95% CI, -1.19 to -0.20) at 6 months; a 4.84 point (95% CI, -7.38 to -2.29) and -3.82 point (95% CI, -6.49 to -1.14) improvement in physical functioning on a 0- to 68-point function subscale of Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index at 3 and 6 months, respectively; and a significant improvement in patient satisfaction equivalent to a "small to moderate effect." Pharmacist-led medication review reduces pain intensity and improves physical functioning and patient satisfaction. However, the clinical significance of these findings remain uncertain due to small effect size and nature of reported data within clinical trials that limits recommendation of wider clinical role of pharmacist in chronic pain management.