Cancer Pain Management in French-Speaking African Countries: Assessment of the Current Situation and Research Into Factors Limiting Treatment and Access to Analgesic Drugs.

Introduction: There is a dearth of research on the incidence and treatment of cancer pain in Africa. Yet Africa, with other developing countries, accounts for more than half of all cancer diagnoses, and it is estimated that cancer incidence in Africa will double by 2030. Objectives: This research protocol outlines an approach to investigate cancer pain in French-speaking African countries. The protocol intends to determine and describe the treatment and management of cancer pain in these countries. Barriers to treating cancer pain will be explored and the results will be collated to make a series of recommendations on policy positions, regulatory frameworks and protocols. Methods: A mixed-methods, co-creation methodology has been selected to ensure the societal impact of the research outcomes. This research will use both qualitative and quantitative data collection methods and analyses. The research will begin with a review of the policies and legislation that exist in relation to cancer pain management and the use of analgesics, in each French-speaking African country. An Experts Steering Committee will then be created to provide guidance on the protocol and research design and access to participants, as well as to execute on the administration of surveys to local structures and international experts. A series of semi-structured, qualitative interviews with experts and clinicians in the field of screening and management of cancer pain and access to treatment will follow. Purposive and snowball sampling will be used to select the respondent experts. The semi-structured interviews will be conducted to determine the main trends and barriers to the treatment of cancer pain in French-speaking African countries. From this qualitative research, two surveys will be developed and then administered: one to validate the policy and regulatory context, and the other to determine experts and healthcare professionals experience and perceptions of cancer pain. Results/Conclusions: The results will be analyzed using quantitative and qualitative methods to determine themes and perceptions of cancer pain and treatment, from the policy level to the healthcare professional level. Evaluation of the results will lead to recommendations for a comprehensive framework for cancer pain treatment in French-speaking Africa.

The increased need for palliative cancer care in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Although palliative care as a discipline in high income countries is maturing, it is still somewhat in its infancy in sub-Saharan Africa, an area where this type of care is needed the most: more than 80% of people in urgent need of palliative care live in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We will describe why the development of palliative care in LMICs is increasingly essential, and how it is currently still underdeveloped. In this manuscript, we discuss the challenges in organizing palliative care in LMICs in regard to the four WHO palliative care pillars: policy, education, medication, and implementation. We will illustrate how several Sub-Saharan African countries are increasingly able to provide palliative care analyzed in terms of these pillars. Ultimately, scientific research and cost-effectiveness analyses of well-developed palliative programs, should encourage both local and international governments and authorities to provide more capital and human recourses for palliative care in the future.

Illness-related suffering and need for palliative care in Rohingya refugees and caregivers in Bangladesh: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Despite recognition that palliative care is an essential component of any humanitarian response, serious illness-related suffering continues to be pervasive in these settings. There is very limited evidence about the need for palliative care and symptom relief to guide the implementation of programs to alleviate the burden of serious illness-related suffering in these settings. A basic package of essential medications and supplies can provide pain relief and palliative care; however, the practical availability of these items has not been assessed. This study aimed to describe the illness-related suffering and need for palliative care in Rohingya refugees and caregivers in Bangladesh. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Between November 20 and 24, 2017, we conducted a cross-sectional study of individuals with serious health problems (n = 156, 53% male) and caregivers (n = 155, 69% female) living in Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh, using convenience sampling to recruit participants at the community level (i.e., going house to house to identify eligible individuals). The serious health problems, recent healthcare experiences, need for medications and medical supplies, and basic needs of participants were explored through interviews with trained Rohingya community members, using an interview guide that had been piloted with Rohingya individuals to ensure it reflected the specificities of their refugee experience and culture. The most common diagnoses were significant physical disabilities (n = 100, 64.1%), treatment-resistant tuberculosis (TB) (n = 32, 20.5%), cancer (n = 15, 9.6%), and HIV infection (n = 3, 1.9%). Many individuals with serious health problems were experiencing significant pain (62%, n = 96), and pain treatments were largely ineffective (70%, n = 58). The average age was 44.8 years (range 2-100 years) for those with serious health problems and 34.9 years (range 8-75 years) for caregivers. Caregivers reported providing an average of 13.8 hours of care per day. Sleep difficulties (87.1%, n = 108), lack of appetite (58.1%, n = 72), and lack of pleasure in life (53.2%, n = 66) were the most commonly reported problems related to the caregiving role. The main limitations of this study were the use of convenience sampling and closed-ended interview questioning. CONCLUSIONS: In this study we found that many individuals with serious health problems experienced significant physical, emotional, and social suffering due to a lack of access to pain and symptom relief and other essential components of palliative care. Humanitarian responses should develop and incorporate palliative care and symptom relief strategies that address the needs of all people with serious illness-related suffering and their caregivers.

The ketamine crisis: Does South Africa have a plan B?

South Africa (SA) has a high incidence of deaths from trauma and injuries. Trauma has been identified as one part of the quadruple burden of disease afflicting the country. This article is concerned with the management of burns, which 3% of the population suffer from annually. Ketamine, acknowledged for its versatility and safety profile, remains a critical component in the medical arsenal of anaesthesiologists and clinicians treating both acute and chronic pain. In the management of burn-injured patients in particular, ketamine is the cornerstone of many analgesia protocols. However, issues pertaining to shortages of this medicine in SA warrant concern and discussion, particularly in view of the high reliance of doctors on ketamine for first-line procedural analgesia in the management of burns in both adult and paediatric patients. This article attempts to highlight the issues related to ketamine shortages, which often have significant clinical, safety, operational and research implications.

Analysis on Composition Rules of Chinese Patent Drugs Treating Pain-Related Diseases Based on Data Mining Method.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze the composition rules of oral prescriptions in the treatment of headache, stomachache and dysmenorrhea recorded in National Standard for Chinese Patent Drugs (NSCPD) enacted by Ministry of Public Health of China and then make comparison between them to better understand pain treatment in different regions of human body. METHODS: Constructed NSCPD database had been constructed in 2014. Prescriptions treating the three pain-related diseases were searched and screened from the database. Then data mining method such as association rules analysis and complex system entropy method integrated in the data mining software Traditional Chinese Medicine Inheritance Support System (TCMISS) were applied to process the data. RESULTS: Top 25 drugs with high frequency in the treatment of each disease were selected, and 51, 33 and 22 core combinations treating headache, stomachache and dysmenorrhea respectively were mined out as well. CONCLUSIONS: The composition rules of the oral prescriptions for treating headache, stomachache and dysmenorrhea recorded in NSCPD has been summarized. Although there were similarities between them, formula varied according to different locations of pain. It can serve as an evidence and reference for clinical treatment and new drug development.

[Evaluation and determinants of pain in patients hospitalized for cancer]. / Ocena i uwarunkowania bólu u hospitalizowanych z powodu choroby nowotworowej.

Pain is a symptom that occurs in almost every third person at the time of diagnosis of cancer. Its intensity and frequency increases with the progression of the disease. AIM: The aim of the studywas to determine of pain conditions in patients treated for cancer during oncological treatment. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 229 randomly selected patients hospitalized at Fr. B. Markiewicz Specialist Hospital of the Podkarpacki Oncological Center in Brzozów. The method of the diagnostic survey and the technique of the survey were used. The research tools were the author's questionnaire and the numerical rating scale NRS (Numeric Rating Scale). The statistical analysis used the following tests: U Mann Whitney and symmetric measures Phi and V Kramer based on the chi-square test. The statistical significance level p≤0.05 was assumed. RESULTS: The incidence of pain resulting from neoplastic disease, treatment and the consequences of the disease was declared by 61,6% of patients. The mean severity of pain in patients was 3.38. Middleaged pain was reported by 55.3% of patients. Low level pain occurred in almost every third patient (31.9%) and in severe form in 12.8% of patients. The most frequent places of pain were abdominal cavity, osteoarticular system and head. Painkillers were taken by 59.4% of patients and mainly were drugs from the first stage of analgesic ladder, among them Paracetamol. Morphine - every tenth patient took the drug of the third grade of the analgesic ladder. The pain was not affected by education, age, sex, marital status, place of residence and self-assessment of functioning in everyday life. Patients suffering from pain assessed their health better. CONCLUSIONS: Most individuals with cancer suffered from pain and painkillers, mainly from the first degree of analgesic ladder. The occurrence of pain was not differentiated as for socio-demographic variables. The treatment method was associated with the sensation of pain, the experience of which influenced the self-assessment of health. Pain is a threat to the quality of life and significantly affects the treatment process. Relief and elimination of pain is a priority in the care and treatment of cancer patients.

Use of analgesics in France, following dextropropoxyphene withdrawal.

BACKGROUND: In 2009, the European Medicines Agency recommended withdrawal of dextropropoxyphene (DXP); in March 2011 it was withdrawn from the market in France. Up until that time the combination dextropropoxyphene-paracetamol (DXP/PC) was widely used for analgesia. At withdrawal, French regulators recommended that DXP/PC be replaced by other step 2 analgesics, i.e. tramadol, codeine, or opium-containing drugs, or by PC for a weak level of pain. To investigate prescribing behaviours after DXP/PC withdrawal, dispensations of analgesics before and after withdrawal were analysed. METHODS: Aggregated dispensation data of analgesics prescribed between January 2009 and December 2012 in the Rhône-Alpes region were obtained from the general health insurance claims data; changes in analgesic dispensation over time were analysed with the ATC/DDD methodology. Pre (Jan-June 2009) and post-withdrawal (Jan-June 2012) changes of DDDs where computed for each analgesic step. RESULTS: The dispensations of DXP/PC experienced a two-step decrease until 2011. Over the withdrawal period 2009-2012, there was a 14% decrease in the overall use of analgesic (from 109 to 94 DDDs), while the use of step 2 analgesics declined by 46% (- 22 DDDs, from 47 to 25 DDDs). This latter decline included a cessation of use of DXP/PC (29 DDDs in 2009) that were only in part (+ 7 DDDs, from 18 to 25 DDDs) compensated by increased use of codeine, tramadol and opium, in monotherapy or combined with PC. For step 1 analgesics, use increased with 9%, mostly PC (+ 8 DDDs, from 31 to 39 DDDs). Step 3 analgesics dispensations remained largely unchanged over this period (around 3 DDDs). CONCLUSIONS: In the Rhône-Alpes region, DXP/PC withdrawal was accompanied in part by an increased use of same level analgesics, and in part by an increased use of PC in monotherapy. The extent of DXP/PC use before withdrawal, and the increased use of PC after DXP withdrawal, underline the complexity of pain management.

Policies to mitigate nonmedical use of prescription medications: how should emerging evidence of gabapentin misuse be addressed?

INTRODUCTION: Over the past decade, increased prescription supply has facilitated an epidemic of nonmedical use of controlled substances, including predominantly opioids, as well as benzodiazepines, z-hypnotics, and stimulants. Areas covered: More recently, misuse of noncontrolled prescriptions, such as gabapentin, has been detected. Gabapentin misuse has been associated with drug-related harm and increased healthcare service utilization in a few studies, including a recent large-sample analysis of commercially insured enrollees in the United States (U.S.) Responding to this emerging base of evidence, a small number of U.S. states have acted to prevent or detect gabapentin misuse by requiring the inclusion of gabapentin utilization in reporting to local Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) and/or imposing other restrictions on gabapentin prescribing (e.g., classification as a controlled substance, quantity limits). These efforts may result in unintentional harm by (1) encouraging 'doctor shopping' across state lines to seek lenient regulatory policies and (2) placing the burden for mitigating misuse on individual practitioners. Expert opinion: We call for a unified national approach, comprising federal regulation and enhanced PDMP reporting to address gabapentin misuse, while laying the groundwork for management of new medications of abuse that the healthcare industry may encounter in the future.

General practice consultations and use of prescription drugs after changes to school absence policy. / Legesøkning og legemiddeluttak etter innføring av nye fraværsregler.

BACKGROUND: New rules for absence with stricter requirements for documentation were introduced in upper secondary schools in the autumn of 2016. We investigated the use of general practice services and dispensing of prescription drugs among 16 ­ 18-year-olds in the autumn of 2016 and compared this with equivalent figures for the period 2013 ­ 15. MATERIAL AND METHOD: We retrieved information on consultations in general practice (GP) and dispensing of prescription drugs to 15 ­ 18-year-olds in the period 2013 ­ 16 from the Directorate of Health's system for control and payment of health reimbursements (KUHR) and the Norwegian Prescription Database respectively. The number of consultations and dispensing of drugs were compared to previous years using Poisson regression (reference year 2015). The incidence rate ratio (IRR) was used as an outcome measure. RESULTS: The number of GP consultations for 16 ­ 18-year-olds was 30 % higher in the autumn of 2016 than in the autumn of 2015 (IRR 1.30, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 1.29 ­ 1.31). In the same period, the dispensing of drugs to this age group increased by 8 % (IRR 1.08, 95 % CI 1.08 ­ 1.09). Among the diagnosis groups, respiratory tract infections had the largest increase (IRR 2.21, 95 % CI 2.17 ­ 2.25). The largest increase in drug dispensing was found for remedies for coughs and colds (IRR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.65 ­ 1.80). INTERPRETATION: The increase in consultations in general practice and dispensing of drugs to 16 ­ 18-year-olds coincided in time with the introduction of new rules for absence from school. We hold it to be highly likely that the changes were caused by the stricter rules for documentation of absence from school.

A systematic review of the effectiveness of policies restricting access to pregabalin.

BACKGROUND: Formularies often employ restriction policies to reduce pharmacy costs. Pregabalin, an alpha-2-delta ligand, is approved for treatment of fibromyalgia (FM); neuropathic pain (NeP) due to postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), diabetic peripheral neuropathy (pDPN), spinal cord injury; and as adjunct therapy for partial onset seizures. Pregabalin is endorsed as first-line therapy for these indications by several US and EU medical professional societies. However, restriction policies such as prior authorization (PA) and step therapy (ST) often favor less costly generic pain medications over pregabalin. METHODS: A structured literature search (PubMed, past 11 years) was conducted to evaluate whether restriction policies against pregabalin support real-world economic and healthcare utilization benefits. RESULTS: Search criteria identified three claims analyses and a modeling study that evaluated patients with NeP and/or FM with and without PA restrictions; three other studies included patients with FM and NeP in plans with ST requirements, and one evaluated a mail order requirement program. All studies evaluated outcomes during follow-up periods of 6 months or longer. Overall, PA, ST, and mail order restriction policies effectively reduced pregabalin usage, but the effects were inconsistent with reducing pharmacy costs and were non-significant for total disease-related medical costs. Two studies (one PA; one ST) reported significantly higher disease-related costs in restricted plans. The modeling study failed to demonstrate cost savings with PA. Opioid usage was higher in PA-restricted plans (two studies). The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and several professional NeP guidelines recommend opioid use only in cases when other non-opioid pain therapies have proven ineffective. New US Government taskforce guidelines now seek to reduce opioid exposure. Additionally, in both ST studies, gabapentin utilization (a common ST edit) was significantly increased. Both studies had substantial proportions of FM and pDPN patients and the only pain condition gabapentin is approved to treat in the United States is PHN. CONCLUSION: PA and ST restriction policies significantly decrease utilization of pregabalin, but do not consistently demonstrate cost savings for US health plans. More research is needed to evaluate whether these policies may lead to increased opioid usage as found in some studies. TRIAL REGISTRATION: N/A.

Trends in Medicalization of Children with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome.

Objective: The objective of this survey was to describe trends over time in medicalization of children with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome (AMPS). Design: A retrospective evaluation was conducted using self-reported data from patients presenting to the pain clinic between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2014, who were diagnosed with AMPS. Setting and Subjects: This was a medical record review of 899 subjects ages 3-20 presenting with Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome. Subjects were included if they presented to a single tertiary specialized clinic and obtained a diagnosis of AMPS between January 1, 2008 and December 31, 2014. Methods: Information collected from subjects' medical records included: past medications, current outpatient medications, procedures, aids, therapies, studies, professionals seen, hospitalizations, and surgeries. Trends in medicalization were analyzed by year of initial visit. Results: Medication use, procedures, studies, therapies, professionals seen, hospitalizations, and surgeries in children with AMPS all increased significantly by year ( P < 0.001). The degree of physical dysfunction, pain, and the use of aids did not significantly increase. Conclusions: Children with amplified musculoskeletal pain syndrome are becoming increasingly medicalized. Increased medicalization introduces risk of iatrogenic injury and burdens families with unnecessary medical costs. The significant increase in medicalization of children with AMPS is not related to an increase in patient reported pain, which is evidenced by the lack of significant increase in patients' pain score, pain duration, or functional disability at the time of their initial evaluation.

Prescribing pattern of analgesics in orthopedic in-patient department at tertiary care hospital in Guwahati, Assam, Northeast India.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the prescribing pattern of analgesics and analyze the rational use of analgesic in orthopedic in-patient department of tertiary care teaching hospital, Guwahati, Assam. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: An observational and cross-sectional study was carried out for 1 month from April to May 2014. Collected data included age, sex, diagnosis and line of management during the study. The generic name and the average cost of treatment per patient were evaluated using Indian Drug Review, 2014. The prescribed drugs were assessed with respective National Model List of Essential Medicines (NLEM), 2011 and the rationality of prescriptions was determined using the World Health Organization indicators of drug utilization. The patients' details were recorded in a predeigned data collection form and results were analyzed by descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Out of 200 patients, 123 were male and 77 were female. The average number of analgesic per prescription was 1.46. In this study, 55.5% of patients had received single analgesic. Diclofenac was the most commonly prescribed analgesic (43.49%). During hospitalization, majority of the patients have received parenteral preparation. Gastroprotective agents and antimicrobials were frequently prescribed along with analgesics. Out of 292 analgesics prescribed, 183 (62.67%) were from the NLEM, India. Furthermore, 176 (57.19%) analgesics were prescribed by generic name. The average cost of treatment per patient was 2151.72 INR. Utilization of analgesic in terms of defined daily dose/100 bed-days was 104.01. CONCLUSION: The percentages of analgesics prescribing from NLEM and the use of analgesic by generic name were found satisfactory. Regular educational interventions to improve prescribing practices among physicians at different levels may further promote rational prescribing.

Views of emergency physicians working in university and state hospitals in Turkey regarding the use of analgesics in patients with acute abdominal pain.

BACKGROUND: Use of narcotic analgesics in patients with acute abdominal pain does not cause delayed misdiagnosis, increases patient comfort and does not suppresses physical examination. The purpose of this study was to determine attitudes anddaily practices of emergency medicine (EM) specialists, residents and faculty members in Turkey on the use of analgesics in patients with acute abdominal pain and factors affecting their decisions on the use of analgesics. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed between November 15, 2013 and January 25, 2014 by conducting a questionnaire to EM physicians working in University Hospitals, Education and Research Hospitals of the Ministry of Health, State Hospitals, and Private Hospitals in Turkey. RESULTS: A total of 803 questionnaires (participation rate: 47%) were completed. 59.3% (n=470) of the participants were research assistants. 49.5% of the participants reported that analgesic drugs "suppressed'' physical examination findings. They stated that 90% of the patients "always'' and "often'' requested analgesics and that 34.6% of surgery consultant physicians "rarely" recommended the use of analgesics, while 28.7% "never" recommended, and that there was no common policy established together with surgical departments (79.1%). According to the comparison between the EM specialists and residents, residents in the group stating that they would "never'' use analgesics were higher than specialists in number (p=0.002); residents reported that they administered analgesics "upon surgical intervention decision", while specialists reported that they administered analgesics "after patient's examination and treatment plan" (p=0.021); residents reported that analgesics "suppressed'' physical examination findings, while specialists reported that analgesics "clarified'' physical examination findings (p<0.0001); residents reported that they did not administer analgesics "before examination by surgeon'', while specialists reported otherwise (p=0.0001). Senior residents (>24 months) reported that they administered analgesics "often'' compared to junior residents (p=0.034) and that junior residents believed that the use of analgesics would "suppress physical examination findings'' at a higher percentage (p=0.002). CONCLUSION: The rates of use of analgesics in patients with acute abdominal pain by EM physicians are very low. The rates of use of analgesics by EM residents are much lower compared to EM specialists, and they highly believe that analgesic drugs suppress physical examination findings. Residents tend to administer analgesic drugs at a later stage. As seniority of residents increases, the rate of analgesics use and the opinion that analgesic drugs have no effect on physical examination findings increases.

"What is killing me most": chronic pain and the need for palliative care in the Eastern Cape, South Africa.

Palliative care and the provision of pain relief medicine are essential components of health care, yet little research has been conducted on access to pain medicine in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to examine patient experiences and health care provider attitudes towards chronic pain and palliative care in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate experience of chronic pain in a district hospital and associated clinics. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were conducted with 45 current and former patients receiving care and 26 health care providers. Forty-six percent (n = 19) of patients rated their pain in the last month as severe. Thirty-nine percent (n = 17) of individuals stated that they had never been provided with an explanation for the cause of their pain. Multiple regression analysis found that being female, not having received a social welfare grant, and not having received an explanation for the cause of pain were associated with higher ratings of pain (P < .10 for each variable). Factors inhibiting the provision of palliative care included insufficient access and availability of pain medication and providers' association of palliative care with end-of-life care. Adequate pain relief is often deprioritized in a busy health care setting. Ensuring patients receive sufficient relief for their pain requires interventions at clinical and policy levels, including the provision of needed pain medication and training in palliative care for all providers.