Pain and health-related quality of life in people with chronic leg ulcers.

INTRODUCTION: Venous leg ulceration is associated with pain and poor health-related quality of life (HRQL). The purpose of this study was to identify demographic and clinical characteristics associated with pain and decreased HRQL in patients with active venous ulcers. METHODS: Baseline data were combined from two trials that took place between 2001 and 2007 (n = 564). Pain was measured using the Numeric Pain Scale (NPS), and HRQL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Survey 12-item Short Form (SF-12), which generates a Physical (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS). Analyses included logistic and linear regression (for pain and HRQL, respectively). RESULTS: Mean age was 66.5 years; 47% were male. Median NPS score was 2.2 (out of 10) and mean PCS and MCS scores were 38.0 and 50.5, respectively (scores are standardized to a mean of 50 representing average HRQL). Younger age, living with others, and arthritis were associated with pain. Poorer PCS was associated with being female, venous/mixed ulcer etiology, larger ulcers, longer ulcer duration, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and higher pain intensity. Poorer MCS was associated with younger age, longer ulcer duration, comorbidity and higher pain intensity. CONCLUSION: Research is needed to test strategies to reduce pain and possibly improve HRQL in high risk groups.

TITLE: Douleur et qualité de vie liée à la santé chez les personnes souffrant d'ulcères chroniques aux jambes. INTRODUCTION: L'ulcération veineuse de la jambe est associée à de la douleur et à une mauvaise qualité de vie liée à la santé (QVLS). Cette étude visait à définir les caractéristiques démographiques et cliniques associées à la douleur et à une diminution de la QVLS chez les patients présentant des ulcères veineux actifs. MÉTHODOLOGIE: Les données de base obtenues dans le cadre de deux essais menés entre 2001 et 2007 (n = 564) ont été combinées. La douleur a été mesurée à l'aide de l'échelle numérique de la douleur (END), et la QVLS a été mesurée à l'aide du formulaire abrégé comportant 12 questions de l'Enquête sur la santé (SF-12), qui produit un sommaire de la composante physique (SCP) et un sommaire de la composante mentale (SCM). Les analyses ont notamment été effectuées par régression logistique (pour la douleur) et par régression linéaire (pour la QVLS). RÉSULTATS: L'âge moyen était de 66,5 ans; 47 % étaient des hommes. Le score médian sur l'END était de 2,2 (sur 10) et les scores moyens du SCP et du SCM étaient respectivement de 38,0 et de 50,5 (les scores sont normalisés à une moyenne de 50, qui représente la QVLS moyenne). Le jeune âge, le fait de vivre avec d'autres personnes et l'arthrite ont été associés à la douleur. Un score plus faible pour le SCP a été associé au fait d'être une femme, aux ulcères d'origine veineuse/mixte, aux gros ulcères, aux ulcères de longue durée, aux maladies cardiovasculaires, à l'arthrite et la douleur intense. Un score plus faible pour le SCM a été associé au jeune âge, aux ulcères de longue durée, aux affections concomitantes et à la douleur intense. CONCLUSION: Il convient de mener des recherches pour mettre à l'essai des stratégies d'atténuation de la douleur et d'amélioration potentielle de la QVLS chez les groupes à risque élevé.

The prevalence of chronic pain and pain-related interference in the Canadian population from 1994 to 2008.

INTRODUCTION: Estimates of the prevalence of chronic pain worldwide and in Canada are inconsistent. Our primary objectives were to determine the prevalence of chronic pain by sex and age and to determine the prevalence of pain-related interference for Canadian men and women between 1994 and 2008. METHODS: Using data from seven cross-sectional cycles in the National Population Health Survey and the Canadian Community Health Survey, we defined two categorical outcomes, chronic pain and pain-related interference with activities. RESULTS: Prevalence of chronic pain ranged from 15.1% in 1996/97 to 18.9% in 1994/95. Chronic pain was most prevalent among women (range: 16.5% to 21.5%), and in the oldest (65 years plus) age group (range: 23.9% to 31.3%). Women aged 65 years plus consistently reported the highest prevalence of chronic pain (range: 26.0% to 34.2%). The majority of adult Canadians who reported chronic pain also reported at least a few activities prevented due to this pain (range: 11.4% to 13.3% of the overall population). CONCLUSION: Similar to international estimates, this Canadian population-based study confirms that chronic pain persists and impacts daily activities. Further study with more detailed definitions of pain and pain-related interference is warranted.

Associations between chronic disease, age and physical and mental health status.

This paper examines the associations between chronic disease, age, and physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQOL), using data collected in 10 studies representing five chronic conditions. HRQOL was measured using the SF-36 or the shorter subset, SF-12. Physical Component Summary (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) scores were graphed by condition in age increments of 10 years, and compared to age- and sex-adjusted normative data. Linear regression models for the PCS and MCS were controlled for available confounders. The sample size of 2418 participants included 129 with renal failure, 366 with osteoarthritis (OA), 487 with heart failure, 1160 with chronic wound (leg ulcer) and 276 with multiple sclerosis (MS). For the PCS, there were large differences between the normative data and the mean scores of those with chronic diseases, but small differences for the MCS. Female gender and comorbid conditions were associated with poorer HRQOL; increased age was associated with poorer PCS and better MCS. This study provided additional evidence that, while physical function could be severely and negatively affected by both chronic disease and advanced age, mental health remained relatively high and stable.

Meaning and measurement: an inclusive model of evidence in health care.

Evidence-based approaches are assuming prominence in many health-care fields. The core ideas of evidence-based health care derive from clinical epidemiology and general internal medicine. The concept of evidence has yet to be analysed systematically; what counts as evidence may vary across disciplines. Furthermore, the contribution of the social sciences, particularly qualitative methodology, has received scant attention. This paper outlines a model of evidence that describes four distinct but related types of evidence: qualitative-personal; qualitative-general; quantitative-general and quantitative-personal. The rationale for these distinctions and the implications of these for a theory of evidence are discussed.

How an audit of epidural patients in a community hospital setting resulted in the development of a formal acute pain management service.

PURPOSE: To describe the results of an audit of patients who received epidural analgesics postoperatively and the subsequent development of a formal acute pain management service in a community hospital. METHODS: To understand how epidural analgesia was being used to treat postoperative pain at the Peterborough Regional Health Centre, Peterborough, Ontario, a retrospective chart review was performed. Audits were performed on 178 patients who had received epidural analgesia postoperatively from October 1994 to May 1995. Data pertaining to demographics, epidural analgesia, pain scores and side effects were collected. RESULTS: Sixty-one per cent of patients received bupivacaine/ fentanyl infusions, and 39% received epidural morphine boluses. More than 60% of patients reported no pain postoperatively. Patients who received bupivacaine/fentanyl were more likely than those who received epidural morphine to also receive co-analgesia and transitional analgesia. Patients who received epidural morphine were more likely than those who received bupivacaine fentanyl to experience respiratory depression, hypotension and pruritus. Patients were followed by the anesthesiologist who provided the anesthetic. Anesthesiologists practised independently, and formal policies and procedures did not exist. CONCLUSIONS: As a result of the audit, an acute pain management service was developed. This included a team that did daily rounds and consisted of a nurse clinician and an anesthesiologist who was assigned to the service on a weekly basis. A committee was created, and formalized policies and procedures were established. Standardized order sheets, data sheets and a computerized database were developed. Reports for administrative and quality improvement purposes were generated monthly. Education programs were developed. Co-analgesia and transitional analgesia are now part of routine care, and epidural catheter placement close to the site of incision is encouraged. A postoperative nausea and vomiting algorithm, and a treatment regimen for pruritus have also been implemented.