Schmerz最新文献

Digital medicine has increasing influence on the German healthcare system. In times of social distancing during the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, digital tools enable health professionals to maintain medical care. Furthermore, digital elements have potential to provide effective guideline-oriented treatment to a broad range of patients independently from location and time. This survey was used to assess the attitudes of members of the German Pain Society (health professionals) and of associated self-help groups (patients) towards digital medicine. It was sent out as an online survey to health professionals in September 2020 and to patients in February 2021. The survey referred especially to present usage, attitude and potential concerns regarding particular digital elements. Furthermore, technical affinity was assessed. In total, 250 health professionals and 154 patients participated in the survey. The results show that-although digital elements are already known-a substantial proportion of health professionals still lack broad transfer to regular treatment. The potential of digital tools seems to be recognized by both groups; interestingly, patients consider digital medicine as more useful than health professionals. Nevertheless, concerns about for example data security or digital competence remain in both groups. Taken together, our results indicate that disruptive changes, as the implementation of digital medicine in the healthcare system, have to be guided by intense education and channeled by political policies in order to successfully integrate digital elements into medicine on a long-term basis. This would be in favor for all involved parties and is demanded especially by patients.

Background: Patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) is a well-established form of postoperative pain management. One form of administration is patient-controlled regional analgesia (PCRA), where local anesthetics are administered via peripheral regional catheters; however, a prerequisite is that the patients are instructed on its use. A multitude of sources recommend that these instructions are given before surgery as preoperative training on pain management procedures has been shown to significantly reduce patients' postoperative pain and increase their well-being.

Objective: The aim was to assess the effect of guideline-assisted preoperative patient education for PCRA on postoperative pain in patients undergoing orthopedic surgery compared to unstructured postoperative standard instructions.

Material and methods: A controlled study with two randomized samples and a postinterventional survey was conducted. Overall, 73 patients with PCRA catheters for orthopedic surgery were enrolled in the study. The 37 participants in the interventional group (IG) received guideline-based structured instructions on PCRA use as well as a handout immediately before the surgical intervention. The 36 patients in the control group (CG) received postoperative instructions in the anesthesia recovery room. Pain was documented according to the numerical rating scale (NRS) at 2h (t1), 6h (t2), and 24h (t3) after surgery.

Results: There were no statistically significant differences in the average pain scores between the two groups; however, there were lower mean pain scores in the IG at t1 and t3.

Conclusion: A significant reduction of pain in the IG could not be shown. Further studies concerning this topic with larger samples and adapted points in time are recommended.

Background and objectives: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) can lead to severe pain and limited functionality in the long term. Guidelines should help to optimize treatment procedures. It should be investigated which outcome is achieved after 1 year with guideline-based therapy.

Materials and methods: In a prospective multicenter study, 40 patients with newly diagnosed CRPS were examined to determine how their pain and functional limitations changed within 1 year. In addition, it was investigated whether the time of diagnosis and invasive measures influence these outcome parameters.

Results: All patients received physiotherapy and/or ergotherapy, treatment with glucocorticoids and/or bisphosphonates 29 (72.5%); various invasive measures were carried out in 13 (32.5%). After 1 year, both pain and functionality were significantly improved; two-thirds reported a tolerable average pain intensity. Severe functional impairment according to von Korff disability points was found after 1 year in 9 (22.5%), and a moderate or severe impairment according to medical evaluation in 6 (15%) and 3 (7.5%) patients, respectively. Earlier diagnosis and corresponding earlier start of treatment correlated with better outcome in terms of pain and functionality according to von Korff, but not according to medical evaluation. The influence of invasive procedures on the outcome parameters tended to be low.

Conclusion: Guideline-based treatment led to a good outcome in terms of pain and functionality in the majority of patients. Early diagnosis correlated with better outcome, so suspected cases should be referred quickly to a medical facility with appropriate expertise.

Background: In order to properly inform patients about their pain and initiate targeted therapies, it is important for physiotherapists to learn about the latest scientific evidence on pain during their training.

Aim: This study aimed to assess the pain knowledge of German physiotherapy trainees and students. In addition, the influence of a teaching intervention (Pain Neuroscience Education, PNE) on their pain knowledge was investigated.

Methods: An online test was performed, which contained the German versions of the revised Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (rNPQ-D) and the Essential Knowledge of Pain Questionnaire (EKPQ). This test was completed by physiotherapy trainees and students (N = 279) in their final semester of vocational education or graduation under virtual supervision. After the test, a sub-cohort of physiotherapy trainees (n = 31) received a four-hour online teaching intervention (PNE), whereupon two retests took place.

Results: The mean rNPQ-D score (63.8%) was significantly higher than the mean EKPQ score (28.4%) (p < 0.001). There was a significant positive correlation between the scores of rNPQ-D and EKPQ (r = 0.365, p < 0.001). Undergraduate students from university (n = 142) achieved significantly higher scores in both questionnaires (p < 0.001) compared to trainees from vocational schools (n = 137). In the sub-cohort, the online teaching intervention significantly improved the scores of both questionnaires immediately (p < 0.001) and six weeks after intervention (p < 0.001).

Conclusion: The knowledge of German physiotherapy students about pain seems to be insufficient for an evidence-based treatment of pain patients. A PNE-based online learning program with the latest scientific evidence can significantly improve physiotherapy students' knowledge about pain.

Chemotherapy-induced polyneuropathy (CIPN) encompasses a spectrum of symptoms ranging from hypoesthesia with impaired gait, stance and fine motor skills to painful dysesthesia and allodynia and significantly impairs the quality of life of those affected. In the present pilot study, quantitative sensory testing (QST) was used to investigate CIPN as a common adverse effect of cytostatic drugs in patients with incurable cancer. The QST is a standardized examination procedure that is not yet routinely used in cancer patients. It is used to examine thermal and mechanical perception and pain thresholds to record the subjectively experienced pain phenotype. In the N‑Check pilot project, the QST was used before and after tumor-specific, potentially CIPN-inducing treatment and the data collected was compared in a pre-post analysis. In addition, the specific effects of CIPN on the health-related quality of life of patients treated primarily with a palliative intention were recorded using the Functional Assessment for Cancer Therapy-General (FACT-G) questionnaire. Overall, the patients showed significant heat hypoalgesia after chemotherapy as a sign of damage to small nerve fibers. In addition, there were signs of deterioration of the quality of life. The feasibility of QST in patients with incurable cancer and palliative, neurotoxic chemotherapy was demonstrated in this pilot study.

Background and objectives: Chronic pain affects an enormous number of patients in Germany. Therefore, early detection is important using easy, quick and reasonable screening methods. The avoidance-endurance fast screen is currently available in two different versions: one asking for pain-related behaviour in light and severe pain and the other assessing overall severe pain-related behaviour. In this study we aim to examine the agreement between both scales and for the first time describe the role of protective psychological features such as resilience and self-compassion in this model.

Materials and methods: Epidemiological cross-sectional study (n = 278) of a healthy cohort occasionally experiencing pain (< 3 months). The analysis was done using standard descriptive statistics, correlations (Spearman's rho) and deductive statistics (t-tests and one-factor ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni correction) and effect sizes (Cohen's d). Matching of the instruments was calculated with Cohen's kappa.

Results: The results showed a moderate agreement for the two versions. A validity check of the subgroups resulted in comparable findings. The one-level version scored higher in terms of pain persistence which caused subgroup changes from adaptive to eustress-endurance responses and from fear-avoidance to distress-endurance responses. The distress-endurance subgroup had significantly lower values of the trait self-compassion.

Conclusions: Based on the results of this study, the quality of agreement between the two AEFS versions is considered strong. Without the comparison between mild and strong pain, endurance behaviour was reported more often. According to these findings, overestimation of pain persistence behaviour using the one-level version might result. Therefore, future studies should re-evaluate the cut-offs. As reported in previous studies, protective psychological features showed the highest scores in the eustress-endurance subgroup.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic led to significantly restricted access to pain medicine services. Patients with cancer-related pain are considered a vulnerable group in terms of care deficits. A questionnaire among providers providing treatment to this group was used to assess limitations and solutions in this critical situation.

Materials and methods: The online survey, developed by the 'Tumour Pain Working Group' of the German Pain Society using the Delphi method, included questions on site structure, pandemic-related care problems, and burdens experienced by those treating patients. It was distributed several times via the mailing lists of the German Pain Society and the 'Palliative Medicine Working Group' of the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine.

Results: In all, 175 fully completed questionnaires were analysed. Over 75% of participants reported pandemic-related staff shortages and closures of pain medicine facilities, with 32% of facilities temporarily not treating elective pain patients and 13% not treating any emergencies. Care was hampered by numerous logistical problems such as very frequent pandemic-related cancellations by patients or in the transmission of prescriptions. Alternative forms of consultation by telephone or telemedicine, rarely used before the pandemic, were reported by 79 and 31% of respondents respectively, but deficiencies were noted. In addition, 52.1% of respondents complained of severe and 26.8% of moderate psychological stress due to the pandemic, and 74.1% evaluated working conditions as moderately to severely difficult. Medical training was still possible for 86% through format changes.

Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic revealed numerous deficits in the care of patients with cancer-related pain, as well as burdens on healthcare providers. The development of new concepts could help to ensure better care in future crisis situations.