December 2006
In
this issue…
CDC
Report Finds Pain Affects Millions of Americans
New
Study Helps Dispel Myth That Opioids Hasten Death
New Warnings Proposed for Popular Pain Relievers
Living
with continual sickle cell pain
Amputee
Coalition of America Releases Research Results
National
Cancer Institute Launches Free Weekly Online Bulletin
PBS
series features episodes on end-of-life care and chronic pain
Hospice
Resource Center Offers On-going Educational Opportunities
CDC
Report Finds Pain Affects Millions of Americans
One
in four U.S. adults say they suffered a day-long bout of pain in the past
month, and 1 in 10 say the pain lasted a year or more, according to the
government’s annual, comprehensive report of Americans’ health, Health
United States, 2006, released today by the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics.
“We
chose to focus on pain in this report because it is rarely discussed as a
condition in and of itself—it is mostly viewed as a byproduct of another
condition,” said lead study author Amy Bernstein. “We also chose this
topic because the associated costs of pain are posing a great burden on
the health care system, and because there are great disparities among
different population groups in terms of who suffer from pain.”
Low
back pain is among the most common complaints, along with migraine or
severe headache, and joint pain, aching or stiffness. The knee is the
joint that causes the most pain according to the report. Hospitalization
rates for knee replacement procedures rose nearly 90 percent between
1992–1993 and 2003–2004 among those 65 and older.
Some
of the other pain statistics include:
-
One-fifth of adults 65 years and older said they had experienced pain in the past month that persisted for more than 24 hours.
-
Almost three-fifths of adults 65 and older with pain said it had lasted for 1 year or more.
-
More than one-quarter of adults interviewed said they had experienced low back pain in the past 3 months.
-
Fifteen percent of adults experienced migraine or severe headache in the past 3 months. Adults ages 18–44 were almost three times as likely as adults 65 and older to report migraines or severe headaches.
-
Reports of severe joint pain increased with age, and women reported severely painful joints more often than men (10 percent versus 7 percent).
-
Between the periods 1988–1994 and 1999–2002, the percentage of adults who took a narcotic drug to alleviate pain in the past month rose from 3.2 percent to 4.2 percent.
The
report also finds that the United States spent an average of $6,280 per
person on health care in 2004. Seven percent of adults under 65 said they
passed up getting needed care in the past 12 months due to costs.
Reprinted from the November 15, 2006 CDC National Center for Health Statistics press release.
FDA
Issues Alert on Methadone
The Food and Drug Administration
recently warned the public and health care professionals about the use of
methadone (marketed as Dolophine) citing reports of deaths and
life-threatening side effects in patients newly starting methadone for
pain control and in patients who have switched to methadone after being
treated for pain with other strong narcotic pain relievers. For more
information, visit the FDA
Web site.
Reprinted from ASPI December 2006 newsletter
New
Study Helps Dispel Myth That Opioids Hasten Death
The
belief that the administration of opioids (including morphine) hastens
death can be a significant barrier to effective pain management for dying
patients. A new study appearing in the December issue of the Journal of
Pain and Symptom Management suggests that the timing of death among
patients with advanced illness involves a complex interplay of variables
and that effective opioid use actually
poses little risk of hastened death.
Stephen
Connor, vice president of research and international development for NHPCO
and a co-author of the study commented, “This study reassures clinicians
that their effective use of opioids in the seriously ill will not hasten
death and will lead to better quality care. We all want to be kept
comfortable and pain free at the end of our lives.”
Extensive
data pertaining to clinical outcomes during end-of-life were collected as
part of NHPCO’s National Hospice Outcomes Project, a prospective
longitudinal study of patients admitted to hospice programs, funded by the
Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Read NHPCO’s
press release and access the complete
article at NHPCO’s Web site.
NHPCO News Briefs Email Edition December 14, 2006
New
Warnings Proposed for Popular Pain Relievers
The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is proposing a new federal rule that would strengthen the warning
labels for over the counter pain medications. The agency wants
manufacturers of acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen products to include
information regarding the potential for stomach bleeding and liver damage
and when to consult a doctor. For more information visit the FDA
Web site.
Reprinted from ASPI December 2006 newsletter
Living with Continual Sickle Cell Pain
Here
is a link
to an interesting article entitled “Sickle
cell anemia causes teen to live with continual pain”
published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch on December 10, 2006.
Amputee
Coalition of America Releases Research Results
The
Amputee Coalition of America (ACA) released its results of a consumer
survey completed by the Limb Loss Research & Statistics Program (LLR&SP),
a collaboration of the ACA and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of
Public Health, in its new publication, People With Amputation Speak Out
With the Amputee Coalition of America.
The
purpose of the multi-year research project, funded by the National Center
on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD), a division of
the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), was to determine how
well people with limb loss were functioning in their everyday lives and
what services they may need, but are not getting.
Survey
questions asked of the 954 amputee participants looked at the overall
health and well-being of people with limb loss, the need for services such
as medical care and rehabilitation, the use of, and satisfaction with,
prosthetic devices and related services and environmental barriers and
attitudes that impact overall well-being.
The
four main conclusions of the research are:
-
The majority of community-dwelling amputees are living independently.
-
Pain and depressed mood are the most common secondary conditions associated with limb loss.
-
Among the sample of amputees surveyed, the majority reported wearing a prosthesis daily.
-
A significant number of amputees reported barriers to accessing physical and emotional healthcare during the past year.
The
mission of the LLR&SP was to improve the understanding of limb loss,
explore people’s experiences living with limb loss, and design programs
aimed at improving function and quality of life after limb loss. As a
result of the findings in this study, researchers at Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health and the University of Washington
collaborated with the ACA to design the Promoting Amputee Life Skills
(PALS) self-management program, aimed at improving the quality of life for
amputees.
To
request a free, printed copy of this 14-page report, contact the ACA at
888/AMP-KNOW (267-5669) or fill out an information request online at the
National Limb Loss Information Center.
The
report is also available as a free
PDF download from the ACA web site.
Reprinted
from
Purdue Pharma December 2006 Newsletter
National
Cancer Institute Launches Free Weekly Online Bulletin
The
National Cancer Institute (NCI) publishes free, weekly online information
through the NCI Cancer Bulletin. It provides readers with up-to-date,
evidence-based information on cancer
prevention, detection, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. It also
includes the latest cancer news from major scientific journals, and
regularly features new discoveries, clinical trials, funding
opportunities, legislative updates, federal agency news, and special
reports. To receive your free, weekly edition of the bulletin, visit the NCI
Cancer Bulletin section of the
NCI Web site.
PBS
series features episodes on end-of-life care and chronic pain
The
PBS series, “Second Opinion,” has two upcoming episodes focusing on
end-of-life and chronic pain. The series’
Web site contains episode
transcripts, links to other resources, schedule information and more. (PBS Web site; Caring Connections, 10/2006, The Carolinas Center for
Hospice and End of Life Care Weekly Update, Dec 15, 2006)
Hospice
Resource Center Offers On-going Educational Opportunities
The Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care offers an extensive list of continuing education hour-long courses. Breakfast for Brainiacs and Tea Time Topics audio tapes and CDs are available for purchase. Topics include Pain Management in Children, The Art of Symptom Management, Too Much Medicine or Too Little: Addiction Versus Poor Pain Control, and over 50 more choices.
American
Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN)
Extends
Deadline for Research Grant Applications
The
application deadline for ASPMN research grants has been extended to
January 31, 2007. New researchers are especially encouraged to apply for
these funds to support preliminary studies that may lead to continued
funding. 
One
grant will be awarded in the amount of $3,000. Funding from the ASPMN is
intended to promote quality in the management of pain.
All
applicants for project/research support should submit a proposal following
the process outlined for merit comparison of proposals. The applicant and
the institution are required to affirm that satisfactory ethical
precautions shall be taken with regard to projects involving human
subjects as described in the guidelines.
All
applications will be reviewed by the ASPMN Grant Review Subcommittee of
the Research Committee of the American Society for Pain Management
Nursing. Information is available at the ASPMN
Web site.
SAVE
THE DATE!
January
Event
South
Carolina Cancer Alliance Quarterly Meeting
January
30, 2007
March
Event
The
Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care Annual
Clinical Conference
The
Hilton Oceanfront Resort in Hilton Head Island, SC
March
18-21, 2007
June Event
The18th
Annual Meeting of the Alliance of State Pain Initiatives
June
21-23, 2007
Radisson
Hotel Boston in Boston, MA
Keynote speaker: Ira Byock, MD
If
you know of any pain related courses or events in South Carolina that your
organization would like highlighted, please forward the information to Shannon
Johnson.
Again, please check out the SCPI webpage and consider saving this link to your Favorites so that we can keep you updated on the latest news, events and resources in Pain Management.
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