Biopsychosocial Management of Chronic Low Back Pain Patients with Psychological Assessment and Management Tools: Overview

The volume of evidence questioning the efficacy of traditional treatment methods for chronic low back pain sufferers is equalled only by that condoning a more biopsychosocial approach to assessment and treatment. Unfortunately literature on this subject is often academic and does little to offer practical advice to clinicians on how they can apply psychosocial principles to practice. This paper briefly explores the reasons behind the increasing number of chronic back pain patients, reviews the psychological models relevant to understanding this client group, and offers basic practical advice on psychosocial assessment and treatment methods.     

Interventional Procedures for Chronic Pain in Children and Adolescents: A Review of the Current Evidence

This review discusses the role of interventional procedures in the treatment of chronic pain in children and adolescents. Due to lack of scientific evidence, significant controversy surrounds the utility of invasive techniques for managing pediatric chronic pain states. Interventional procedures are a widely accepted modality for pain management in adults. The use of such techniques in children is supported only by case reports, case series, and very few randomized controlled studies. In addition, the potential for severe complications leaves open a debate on the safety of these invasive procedures, which must be confirmed by more extensive and accurate prospective studies.     

Key Patient Assessment Tools and Treatment Strategies for Pain Management

National survey data indicate that more than 25% of American adults suffer from pain that lasts for more than 24 hours in duration. Chronic pain can have a devastating impact on an individual's relationships, daily functioning, and employment. Although the treatment of pain is something that clinicians face every day, providing optimal care for these patients can be difficult. Many clinicians feel that managing side effects, identifying and managing potential drug abusers, and navigating regulatory and legal issues can make pain management a complicated undertaking. This review discusses key patient assessment and treatment strategy tools, together with common medico‐legal concerns to assist clinicians in more effectively managing their patients' pain.     

Buprenorphine for Chronic Pain: a Systemic Review

Purpose of Review

The purpose of this review is to evaluate and explain our current understanding of the clinical use of buprenorphine in the treatment of chronic pain.

Recent Findings

There has been few high-quality, unbiased studies performed on the use of buprenorphine in the treatment of chronic pain.

Summary

Buprenorphine is an effective and safe analgesic that is tolerated at least as well, if not better, than other opioids. Given its safety and mechanistic advantages, the authors believe there is an important role for buprenorphine in the treatment of chronic pain severe enough to warrant the use of an opioid analgesic. Though data is lacking for superiority in chronic pain states, the other advantages of the molecule make it the preferential first-line opioid for around-the-clock pain in our practice.

     

Radiofrequency and Pulsed Radiofrequency Treatment of Chronic Pain Syndromes: The Available Evidence

There are currently 6 reviews on (pulsed) radiofrequency (RF) for the management of spinal pain. Two reviews on interventional pain management techniques in general also discuss RF. The outcomes of those reviews depend on the type of studies included and the opinion of the reviewers, which may result in different evidence levels. Radiofrequency denervation at the cervical and lumbar level has produced the most solid evidence. The differences in treatment outcome registered in the 5 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) regarding lumbar facet denervation can be attributed to differences in patient selection and/or inappropriate technique. There is not sufficient evidence supporting the use of RF facet denervation for the management of cervicogenic headache. The studies examining the management of cervical radicular pain suggest a comparable efficacy for RF and pulsed RF (PRF). The PRF treatment is supposed to be safer and therefore should be preferred. The superiority of RF treatment adjacent to the lumbar dorsal root ganglion for the management of lumbar radicular pain has not been demonstrated in an RCT. Information regarding RF treatment of sacroiliac joint pain is accumulating. No randomized sham‐controlled trials on the value of RF treatment of the Gasserian ganglion for the management of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia have been published. One RCT indicates superiority of RF over PRF for the management of idiopathic trigeminal neuralgia. Future research to confirm or deny the efficacy of (P)RF should be conducted in carefully selected patient populations. The tests used for patient inclusion in such a trial could potentially help the clinician in selecting patients for this type of treatment. The value of PRF treatment of the peripheral nerves also needs to be confirmed in well‐designed trials.     

Fear of Pain as a Prognostic Factor in Chronic Pain: Conceptual Models,Assessment, and Treatment Implications

Chronic pain is a pervasive health care issue affecting over 50 million Americans and costing more than $100 billion dollars annually in lost productivity and health care costs. As a financially and emotionally taxing condition, the families and friends of people with chronic pain, as well as society at large, are affected. Current theory supports the role of biological, psychological, and environmental factors in the etiology, exacerbation, and maintenance of chronic pain. Recently, the specific role of pain-related fear in pain experience has received increasing attention. This article summarizes current understanding of the role of pain-related fear in the onset of acute pain incidents, the transition of acute pain to chronic, and the pain severity and disability of patients with ongoing chronic pain conditions. Treatments demonstrated to reduce pain-related fear are presented, evidence demonstrating their efficacy at reducing disability and pain severity are summarized, and recent criticisms of the fear-avoidance model and future directions are considered.     

Ecological Momentary Assessment Methodology in Chronic Pain Research: A Systematic Review

Self-reported pain intensity assessments are central to chronic pain research. Ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodologies are uniquely positioned to collect these data, and are indeed being used in the field. However, EMA protocols are complex, and many decisions are necessary in the design of EMA research studies. A systematic literature review identified 105 articles drawing from 62 quantitative EMA research projects examining pain intensity in adult chronic pain patients. Study characteristics were tabulated to summarize and describe the use of EMA, with an emphasis placed on various dimensions of decision-making involved in executing EMA methodologies. Most identified studies considered within-person relationships between pain and other variables, and a few examined interventions on chronic pain. There was a trend toward the use of smartphones as EMA data collection devices more recently, and completion rates were not reported in nearly one third of studies. Pain intensity items varied widely with respect to number of scale points, anchor labels, and length of reporting period; most used numeric rating scales. Recommendations are provided for reporting to improve reproducibility, comparability, and interpretation of results, and for opportunities to clarify the importance of design decisions.

Development of a Chronic Pain Assessment Tool

Research demonstrates that many nurses lack knowledge about pain assessment, the differences between acute and chronic pain, and the use of pain rating scales. In this article, the authors describe an instrument for evaluating chronic pain, the purpose of which is to assess systematically the various dimensions of chronic pain and its impact on quality of life. This assessment can establish a baseline for developing clients' treatment plans and can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of treatment plans. Using this tool can provide an accurate multidimensional assessment of clients' chronic pain experiences. The article also discusses recommendations for other applications of the tool.     

Profiles of Pain Acceptance and Values-Based Action in the Assessment and Treatment of Chronic Pain

Pain acceptance and values-based action are relevant to treatment outcomes in those with chronic pain. It is unclear if patterns of responding in these 2 behavioral processes can be used to classify patients into distinct classes at treatment onset and used to predict treatment response. This observational cohort study had 2 distinct goals. First, it sought to classify patients at assessment based on pain acceptance and values-based action (N = 1746). Second, it sought to examine treatment outcomes based on class membership in a sub-set of patients completing an interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for chronic pain (N = 343). Latent profile analysis was used in the larger sample to identify 3 distinct patient classes: low acceptance and values-based (AV) action (Low AV; n = 424), moderate acceptance and values-based action (Moderate AV; n = 983) and high acceptance and values-based action (High AV; n = 339). In the smaller treated sample, participants in the Low AV and Moderate AV class demonstrated improvements across all outcome variables, whereas those in the High AV class did not. These findings support the role of pain acceptance and values-based action in those with chronic pain.PerspectiveIndividuals with chronic pain can be classified with respect to pain acceptance and values-based action and these groups may respond differently to treatment.     

Optimizing Clinical Monitoring Tools to Enhance Patient Review by Pharmacists

Background  The Clinical Monitoring List (CML) is a real-time scoring system and intervention tool used by Mayo Clinic pharmacists caring for hospitalized patients. Objective  The study aimed to describe the iterative development and implementation of pharmacist clinical monitoring tools within the electronic health record at a multicampus health system enterprise. Methods  Between October 2018 and January 2019, pharmacists across the enterprise were surveyed to determine opportunities and gaps in CML functionality. Responses were received from 39% ( n  = 162) of actively staffing inpatient pharmacists. Survey responses identified three main gaps in CML functionality: (1) the desire for automated checklists of tasks, (2) additional rule logic closely aligning with clinical practice guidelines, and (3) the ability to dismiss and defer rules. The failure mode and effect analysis were used to assess risk areas within the CML. To address identified gaps, two A/B testing pilots were undertaken. The first pilot analyzed the effect of updated CML rule logic on pharmacist satisfaction in the domains of automated checklists and guideline alignment. The second pilot assessed the utility of a Clinical Monitoring Navigator (CMN) functioning in conjunction with the CML to display rules with selections to dismiss or defer rules until a user-specified date. The CMN is a workspace to guide clinical end user workflows; permitting the review and actions to be completed within one screen using EHR functionality. Results  A total of 27 pharmacists across a broad range of practice specialties were selected for two separate two-week pilot tests. Upon pilot completion, participants were surveyed to assess the effect of updates on performance gaps. Conclusion  Findings from the enterprise-wide survey and A/B pilot tests were used to inform final build decisions and planned enterprise-wide updated CML and CMN launch. This project serves as an example of the utility of end-user feedback and pilot testing to inform project decisions, optimize usability, and streamline build activities.     

A Narrative Review of the Assessment of Depression in Chronic Pain

ObjectivesThis narrative review sought to explore the main critical issues in the assessment of depression in chronic pain and to identify self-report tools that can be reliably used for measuring it.DesignNarrative review of the literature.MethodsArticles were obtained through a search of three databases and a hand search of the references of full-text papers. Key results within the retrieved articles were summarized and integrated to address the review objectives.ResultsCriterion contamination, different ways to define and evaluate pain and depression across studies, variability in chronic pain samples and settings, pitfalls of diagnostic systems and self-reports, and reluctance to address (or difficulty of recognizing) depression in patients and healthcare providers emerged as main critical issues. The Beck Depression Inventory seems to be the more accurate tool to evaluate depression in chronic pain patients, while other instruments such as the Patient Health Questionnaire could be recommended for a rapid screening.ConclusionsAssessment of depression comorbidity in chronic pain represents a challenge in both research and clinical practice; the choice and use of tests, as well as the score interpretation, require clinical reasoning.Nursing Practice ImplicationsNurses play an important role in screening for depression. Cognitive contents of depression should be carefully evaluated since somatic symptoms may be confusing in the chronic pain context. Some self-reports may be useful for rapid screening. It is also advisable to consider other relevant patient information in evaluating depression.     

Chronic Pain Syndrome: Nursing Assessment and Intervention

Chronic pain is a major health problem in the United States. People with chronic pain syndrome are a subgroup of patients with chronic pain who experience high levels of pain, functional impairment, and depression. Because chronic pain syndrome is a complex multidimensional health problem, nurses must use their expert knowledge and skills in pain management and in rehabilitation nursing to help patients improve their health status and quality of life. This article discusses the nursing assessment and management of chronic pain syndrome as well as an assessment tool that the author has helped develop.     

The Psychological Assessment of Candidates for Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain Management

Abstract:   It is known that, in spite of meeting appropriate clinical criteria for spinal cord stimulation (SCS) and having undergone flawless procedures, a significant number of patients who fail the therapy continues to exist. It is the purpose of this article to focus on the development of psychosocial indicators of success for SCS, if any. Referring to specialist literature authors present a review of what is known, what is not known, and what remains controversial on this topic. After reading this article we hope the reader will understand the importance of a psychological evaluation as part of the development of standards for identifying appropriate patients for this therapy. To improve treatment outcomes of SCS, seems to be essential to perform psychosocial evaluations on all persons clinically indicated for SCS to exclude those patients, who most probably, on a psychosocial level, will fail the procedure. To maximize treatment efficacy, authors believe spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain control must be part of a comprehensive program. An accurate preoperative psychosocial assessment and a course of psychological assistance both before and after therapy seems to be crucial for improving outcomes.