Prevalence of FMS Diagnosis According to ACR 2016 Revised Criteria in a Pain Therapy Centre in Italy: Observational Study.

Background and Objectives: Fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) is a multifaceted disease with a strong preference for the female sex. It is characterised by chronic widespread pain, sleep-wake disorders, fatigue, cognitive disturbances, and several other somatic symptoms. Materials and Methods: In this prospective observational study, we analysed data regarding 302 patients who were referred to our pain centre for a first clinical assessment evaluation and were then inspected for the physician-based 2016 revision of the ACR diagnostic criteria for FMS, regardless of the final diagnosis previously made by the pain therapist. Results: Among the 280 patients who adhered to the 2016 ACR questionnaire, 20.3% displayed positive criteria for FMS diagnosis. The level of agreement between the FMS discharge diagnosis made by the pain clinician and the ACR 2016 criteria-positivity was moderate (kappa = 0.599, with moderate agreement set at a kappa value of 0.6). Only four patients (1.7%) diagnosed as suffering from FMS at discharge did not satisfy the minimal 2016 ACR diagnostic criteria. Conclusions: This prospective observational study confirmed the diagnostic challenge with FMS, as demonstrated by the moderate grade of agreement between the FMS diagnosis at discharge and the positivity for 2016 ACR criteria. In our opinion, the use of widely accepted diagnostic guidelines should be implemented in clinical scenarios and should become a common language among clinicians who evaluate and treat patients reporting widespread pain and FMS-suggestive symptoms. Further methodologically stronger studies will be necessary to validate our observation.

Healthcare professionals' experiences of interdisciplinary collaboration in pain centres - A qualitative study.

OBJECTIVES: The complexity of chronic pain requires interdisciplinary collaboration. Although this is recognisable in the framework for pain centres, few studies have investigated how interdisciplinary collaboration in pain centres is experienced by healthcare professionals, including the facilitators and barriers to interdisciplinary collaboration. The aim of the current study was therefore to investigate experiences of interdisciplinary collaboration in the treatment of patients with chronic pain among healthcare professionals in tertiary care pain centres. METHODS: Eleven healthcare professionals, representing different healthcare disciplines from the four regional pain centres in Norway, participated in semi-structured individual interviews. The data were analysed thematically. RESULTS: The results were categorised into three themes 'The best approach for chronic pain treatment', 'Collegial collaboration', and 'Challenges with interdisciplinary teamwork'. The informants valued the interdisciplinary work at the pain centre. They perceived it as the best approach for their patients and appreciated the support the collegial collaboration gave them as professionals. Although working together was rewarding and provided new insights, the informants also experienced the interdisciplinary teamwork as challenging, e.g., when the different professions disagreed on recommendations for further treatment or did not manage to work together as a team. CONCLUSION: The informants found the interdisciplinary collaboration at the pain centre to provide the best treatment approach for their patients. It should be acknowledged that interdisciplinary teamwork can be challenging, and efforts should be put into establishing a good climate for collaboration and gaining knowledge about each profession's unique character and how they contribute to pain centre treatments.

Robot-assisted laparoscopic nephrectomy: early outcome measures with the implementation of multimodal analgesia and intrathecal morphine via the acute pain service.

PURPOSE: The objective of this study was to perform a retrospective cohort analysis, in which we measured the association of an acute pain service (APS)-driven multimodal analgesia protocol that included preoperative intrathecal morphine (ITM) compared to historic controls (i.e., surgeon-driven analgesia protocol without ITM) with postoperative opioid use. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study in which the primary objective was to determine whether there was a decrease in median 24-h opioid consumption (intravenous morphine equivalents [MEQ]) among robotic nephrectomy patients whose pain was managed by the surgical team prior to the APS, versus pain managed by APS. Secondary outcomes included opioid consumption during the 24-48 h and 48-72 h period and hospital length of stay. To create matched cohorts, we performed 1:1 (APS:non-APS) propensity score matching. Due to the cohorts occurring at the different time periods, we performed a segmented regression analysis of an interrupted time series. RESULTS: There were 76 patients in the propensity-matched cohorts, in which 38 (50.0%) were in the APS cohort. The median difference in 24-h opioid consumption in the pre-APS versus APS cohort was 23.0 mg [95% CI 15.0, 31.0] (p < 0.0001), in favor of APS. There were no differences in the secondary outcomes. On segmented regression, there was a statistically significant drop in 24-h opioid consumption in the APS cohort versus pre-APS cohort (p = 0.005). CONCLUSIONS: The implementation of an APS-driven multimodal analgesia protocol with ITM demonstrated a beneficial association with postoperative 24-h opioid consumption following robot-assisted nephrectomy.

The Problem of Pain in Lupus: Epidemiological Profiles of Patients Attending Multidisciplinary Pain Clinics.

INTRODUCTION: Patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) bear a significant burden of pain. We aimed to identify factors that distinguish patients with SLE referred to comprehensive pain clinics and those who are not. Characterizing this patient population will identify unmet needs in SLE management and inform efforts to improve pain care in rheumatology. METHODS: Among patients with SLE with ≥2 rheumatology clinic visits in a large hospital system from 1998 to 2023 (n = 1319), we examined factors that distinguished those who had at least one visit to multidisciplinary pain clinics (n = 77, 5.8%) from those who did not have any visits (n = 1242, 94.2%) with a focus on biopsychosocial and socioeconomic characteristics. We extracted demographic data and ICD-9/ICD-10 codes from the EHR. RESULTS: Patients with SLE attending the pain clinics exhibited characteristics including average older age (mean age ± SD: 54.1 ± 17.9 vs. 48.4 ± 19.9), a higher likelihood of relying on public health insurance (50.7% vs. 34.2%), and a greater representation of Black patients (9.1% vs. 4.4%) compared to SLE patients not seen in pain clinics. Nearly all patients seen at the pain clinics presented with at least one chronic overlapping pain condition (96.1% vs. 58.6%), demonstrated a higher likelihood of having a mental health diagnosis (76.7% vs. 42.4%), and exhibited a greater number of comorbidities (mean ± SD: 6.0 ± 3.0 vs. 2.9 ± 2.6) compared to those not attending the pain clinic. CONCLUSION: We found notable sociodemographic and clinical differences between these patient populations. Patients presenting with multiple comorbidities might benefit from further pain screening and referral to pain clinics to provide comprehensive care, and earlier referral could mitigate the development and progression of multimorbidities.

A content analysis of the interventions for low back pain promoted on the websites of Australian pain clinics.

BACKGROUND: The Internet is a widely used source of health information, yet the accuracy of online information can be low. This is the case for low back pain (LBP), where much of the information about LBP treatment is poor. METHODS: This research conducted a content analysis to explore what pain treatments for LBP are presented to the public on websites of Australian pain clinics listed in the PainAustralia National Pain Services Directory. Websites providing information relevant to the treatment of LBP were included. Details of the treatments for LBP offered by each pain service were extracted. RESULTS: In total, 173 pain services were included, with these services linking to 100 unique websites. Services were predominantly under private ownership and located in urban areas, with limited services in non-urban locations. Websites provided detail on a median of six (IQR 3-8) treatments, with detail on a higher number of treatments provided by services in the private sector. Physical, psychological and educational treatments were offered by the majority of pain services, whereas surgical and workplace-focused treatments were offered by relatively few services. Most services provided details on multidisciplinary care; however, interdisciplinary, coordinated care characterised by case-conferencing was infrequently mentioned. CONCLUSIONS: Most websites provided details on treatments that were largely in-line with recommended care for LBP, but some were not, especially in private clinics. However, whether the information provided online is a true reflection of the services offered in clinics remains to be investigated.

Sympatholytic Effect of the High Thoracic Erector Spinae Plane Block.

BACKGROUND: The erector spinae plane block (ESPB), which was introduced for the management of thoracic pain, is a technically easy and relatively noninvasive ultrasound (ULSD)-guided technique. Although the ESPB is used widely in variable clinical situations, its sympatholytic effect has never been studied. OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the sympatholytic effect of the high thoracic ESPB by comparing the blocked and unblocked sides of patients' upper extremities, using the changes in the perfusion index (PI). STUDY DESIGN: Prospective, single-group, and open-label study. SETTING: The study was carried out in the pain clinic of a tertiary university hospital. METHODS: This study included 47 patients with upper extremity pain and various diseases who received T2 or T3 ESPBs using 20 mL of 0.2% ropivacaine. For the evaluation of the sympatholytic effect, measurements were taken on the numeric rating scale (NRS), the neck disability index (NDI), and the PI. RESULTS: The PIs of the blocked sides demonstrated significant increases at 10, 20, and 30 minutes compared to the PIs of the baseline and unblocked sides (P < 0.001). The PI ratio at 10 minutes was 2.74 ± 1.65, which was the highest value during the measurement period. Until 30 minutes after the ESPB, the PI ratio was significantly higher in the blocked side than in the unblocked side. During the study period, significant reductions in NRS and NDI scores were found irrespective of disease entity. LIMITATION: The period of PI measurement was only 30 minutes, so we could not determine the time point when the PI returned to the baseline value. CONCLUSION: The high thoracic ESPB was effective in relieving upper extremity pain in diverse disease entities, and the PIs of patients' blocked sides demonstrated significant increases over the baseline value and contralateral unblocked sides.

Risk Factors for Opioid Misuse, Abuse, and Dependence Among Pain Clinic Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study at King Khalid University Hospital during 2020.

BACKGROUND Physicians are faced with the risk of patients developing opioid use disorders (OUDs) when prescribing patients opioids for long periods of time. Therefore, it is highly recommended to continuously monitor and evaluate long-term non-cancer pain patients who are prescribed opioids. This study aims to estimate the prevalence of OUDs in 103 patients with active opioid prescriptions attending the Pain Clinic at King Khalid University Hospital. MATERIAL AND METHODS A cross-sectional study was conducted at King Khalid University Hospital's pain clinic from 2020 to 2022. A list of all patients attending the Pain Clinic with an opioid prescription was provided by the hospital. Through telephone interviews, consent was secured followed by the collection of demographic variables and prescription-related variables. Additionally, patients were asked to complete the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST 3.1) opioid questionnaire. RESULTS Most of the 103 patients were at moderate risk for abuse (91.3%), while a smaller percentage were at high risk (dependence) (5.8%) and low risk (misuse) (2.9%). Tramadol was the most-prescribed opioid (43.7%). Young age (<50) (Z=2.534; P=0.011), opioid use for more than 90 days (Z=2.788; P=0.005), and the prescription of tramadol (Z=4.124; P<0.001) were associated with higher risk of OCDs. CONCLUSIONS Younger patients, opioid use >90 days, and tramadol are associated with a higher risk of opioid misuse. However, further studies on a larger scale and in various settings are needed to provide evidence accurately reflecting the general population, as this study focused on the population of pain clinic attendees.

MMPI-2-RF Profiles of Treatment-Seeking Veterans in a VA Pain Clinic and Associations with Markers of Physical Performance.

Chronic pain is a debilitating condition for many military Veterans and is associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study examined the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2-Restructured Form (MMPI-2-RF) in 144 Veterans (88.2% male, mean age = 57.95 years) recruited from a VA outpatient pain clinic and associations with self-reported pain severity, pain-related interference in daily activities, prescription opioid use, and objective metrics of physical performance on tasks impacted by pain (walking, stair climbing, grip strength, indexed by a single latent variable). Among the cohort with valid responses on the MMPI-2-RF (n = 117) and probable PTSD, mean Somatic Complaints (RC1) and Ideas of Persecution (RC6) scores were clinically elevated. All MMPI-2-RF scales were more strongly correlated with self-reported pain interference than severity. Regressions revealed associations between self-rated pain interference (but not pain or PTSD severity) and physical performance scores (ß = .36, p = .001). MMPI-2-RF overreporting Validity and Higher-Order scales contributed incremental variance in predicting physical performance, including Infrequent Psychopathology Responses (ß = .33, p = .002). PTSD severity was associated with prescription opioid use when accounting for the effects of over-reported somatic and cognitive symptoms (odds ratio 1.05, p ≤ .025). Results highlight the role of symptom overreporting and perceptions of functional impairment to observable behaviors among individuals with chronic pain.

National review of acute pain service utilization, models of care, and clinical practices within the Veterans Health Administration.

INTRODUCTION: The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) is the largest healthcare network in the USA and has been a national leader in opioid safety for acute pain management. However, detailed information on the availability and characteristics of acute pain services within its facilities is lacking. We designed this project to assess the current state of acute pain services within the VHA. METHODS: A 50-question electronic survey developed by the VHA national acute pain medicine committee was emailed to anesthesiology service chiefs at 140 VHA surgical facilities within the USA. Data collected were analyzed by facility complexity level and service characteristics. RESULTS: Of the 140 VHA surgical facilities contacted, 84 (60%) completed the survey. Thirty-nine (46%) responding facilities had an acute pain service. The presence of an acute pain service was associated with higher facility complexity level designation. The most common staffing model was 2.0 full-time equivalents, which typically included at least one physician. Services performed most by formal acute pain programs included peripheral nerve catheters, inpatient consult services, and ward ketamine infusions. CONCLUSIONS: Despite widespread efforts to promote opioid safety and improve pain management, the availability of dedicated acute pain services within the VHA is not universal. Higher complexity programs are more likely to have acute pain services, which may reflect differential resource distribution, but the barriers to implementation have not yet been fully explored.

Application of remote electrocardiogram monitoring systems in chest pain centers for patients with high-risk chest pain.

BACKGROUND: Chinese chest pain centers (CPCs) have been expanding and maturing for the past decade, but patient wait times for pre-hospital care remain long. OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate that the remote electrocardiogram (ECG) monitoring system can ensure more efficient treatment for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) in CPCs, we compared patients with high-risk chest pain who used remote ECG monitoring systems to those who used conventional ECGs in retrospective cohort study. METHODS: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 290 patients who visited our CPC between June 2019 and March 2022 with acute chest pain and a diagnosis of STEMI as well as patients who had undergone an emergency primary percutaneous coronary intervention were selected. Among them, 73 patients with STEMI had employed remote real-time dynamic 12-lead ECG monitoring devices, while 217 patients with STEMI (i.e., the controls) had used conventional ECG monitoring. The effectiveness of treatment procedures for the two groups was investigated. As statistical measures, the symptom onset-to-wire times, first medical contact (FMC)-to-wire times, door-to-wire times, major adverse cardiac events in hospital, and the troponin T levels were analyzed. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the patients with remote real-time dynamic 12-lead ECG monitoring devices showed shorter times for both symptom onset-to-wire (234.8 ± 95.8 min vs. 317.6 ± 129.6 min, P= 0.0321) and from symptom onset-to-FMC (170.5 ± 86.3 min vs. 245.3 ± 115.6 min, P= 0.0287); this group also had a lower 30-day mortality rate (2.73% vs. 4.14%, P= 0.003). The differences between the two groups were statistically significant (P< 0.05). CONCLUSION: With remote real-time dynamic 12-lead ECG monitoring equipment, myocardial ischemia can be treated more quickly, leading to fewer possible cardiac events and a better prognosis.

'Engaging on a slightly more human level': A qualitative study exploring the care of individuals with back pain in a multidisciplinary pain clinic.

Chronic low back pain is characterised by multiple and overlapping biological, psychological, social and broader dimensions, affecting individuals' lives. Multidisciplinary pain services have been considered optimal settings to account for the multidimensionality of chronic low back pain but have largely focused on cognitive and behavioural aspects of individuals' pain. Social dimensions are usually underexplored, considered outside or beyond healthcare professionals' scope of practice. Employing Actor Network Theorist Mol's concept multiplicity, our aim in this paper is to explore how a pain service's practices bring to the fore the social dimensions of individuals living with low back pain. Drawing on 32 ethnographic observations and four group exchanges with the service's clinicians, findings suggest that practices produced multiple enactments of an individual with low back pain. Although individuals' social context was present and manifested during consultations at the pain service (first enactment: 'the person'), it was often disconnected from care and overlooked in 'treatment/management' (second enactment: 'the patient'). In contrast, certain practices at the pain service not only provided acknowledgement of, but actions towards enhancing, individuals' social contexts by adapting rules and habits, providing assistance outside the service and shifting power relations during consultations (third enactment: 'the patient-person'). We therefore argue that different practices enact different versions of an individual with low back pain in pain services, and that engagement with individuals' social contexts can be part of a service's agenda.

Waiting in Pain II: An Updated Analysis of the Multidisciplinary Staffing Levels and Clinical Activity in Australian Specialist Persistent Pain Services.

This study provides an update on multidisciplinary staffing and clinical activity in Australian specialist persistent pain services. Of the 109 services identified, 57 responded, met inclusion criteria and completed a study-specific questionnaire detailing service characteristics, staff resources, and clinical activities. Where possible, data were compared between the 'Waiting in Pain' (WIP) investigations (WIP-I: Dec'08-Jan'10, WIP-II: Jul'16-Feb'18). WIP-II found more pain services (Level 1 centres, rural services) and more full-time equivalent (FTE) staffing (overall, psychiatry, psychology, occupational therapy) than WIP-I. Although Level 1 centres employed more FTE staff (overall, medical) than Level 2 clinics, staffing was comparable when considered relative to clinical activity and this was stable over time for most disciplines. Clinical activity in metropolitan and rural services also remained stable, as did rural service staffing (type, FTE), suggesting that newer clinics replicated existing models. WIP-II highlighted greater diversity in group structures than WIP-I and an associated mean .02FTE allied health staff/patient seen (WIP-I = .03 FTE). Staffing (amounts, types) did not change significantly over time when considered relative to clinical activity, supporting the conclusion that these are workable clinical structures. However, changes in group format (duration, staffing) suggest a shift towards lower-intensity programmes that require less allied health staffing to deliver. PERSPECTIVE: This article presents updated data regarding multidisciplinary staffing profiles, clinical activity, and group programme structures within Australian specialist persistent pain services and examines changes since the original investigation. As the only published staffing profile for multidisciplinary pain services, this project provides critical information to inform service (re)design and care delivery.

Design and implementation of a smart Internet of Things chest pain center based on deep learning.

The data input process for most chest pain centers is not intelligent, requiring a lot of staff to manually input patient information. This leads to problems such as long processing times, high potential for errors, an inability to access patient data in a timely manner and an increasing workload. To address the challenge, an Internet of Things (IoT)-driven chest pain center is designed, which crosses the sensing layer, network layer and application layer. The system enables the construction of intelligent chest pain management through a pre-hospital app, Ultra-Wideband (UWB) positioning, and in-hospital treatment. The pre-hospital app is provided to emergency medical services (EMS) centers, which allows them to record patient information in advance and keep it synchronized with the hospital's database, reducing the time needed for treatment. UWB positioning obtains the patient's hospital information through the zero-dimensional base station and the corresponding calculation engine, and in-hospital treatment involves automatic acquisition of patient information through web and mobile applications. The system also introduces the Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (BiLSTM)-Conditional Random Field (CRF)-based algorithm to train electronic medical record information for chest pain patients, extracting the patient's chest pain clinical symptoms. The resulting data are saved in the chest pain patient database and uploaded to the national chest pain center. The system has been used in Liaoning Provincial People's Hospital, and its subsequent assistance to doctors and nurses in collaborative treatment, data feedback and analysis is of great significance.

Prevalencia y características clínicas del dolor en pacientes con enfermedad crónica avanzada / Prevalence and clinical characteristics of pain in patients with advanced chronic disease

Objetivos: Determinar la prevalencia y las características clínicas del dolor en pacientes con enfermedad crónica avanzada, e identificar la frecuencia del dolor irruptivo. Diseño: Estudio observacional, descriptivo y transversal. Emplazamiento: Tres equipos de atención primaria y un hospital de cuidados intermedios. Participantes: Se seleccionaron todos los pacientes con enfermedad crónica avanzada. Mediciones principales: Se realizó una entrevista semiestructurada para recoger variables demográficas, clínicas y específicas de dolor mediante escalas validadas. Se registraron la ubicación (domicilio, residencia u hospital) y la trayectoria de cronicidad avanzada (insuficiencia de órgano, enfermedad oncológica, demencia o multimorbilidad). Se valoró la presencia de dolor según la Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) y, en los casos de demencia invalidante, según la Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD). Análisis estadístico descriptivo y comparativo entre variables utilizando el programa R. Resultados: Se incluyeron 223 pacientes (60,4% de los seleccionados). Prevalencia del dolor: 83,9% (n=187), sin diferencias según la ubicación ni según la trayectoria. Diferencias significativas en la intensidad del dolor según la ubicación (p=0,0046) (moderado-severo en domicilio, moderado en hospital y leve en residencia) y según la trayectoria (p<0,0001) (dolor moderado-severo en insuficiencia de órgano y multimorbilidad, moderado en cáncer y leve en demencia). Se observó impacto funcional por dolor leve-moderado, impacto emocional severo en el 41,5% de los pacientes (n=51) y dolor irruptivo en el 8,6% (n=13). Conclusiones: El dolor debe ser siempre explorado y evaluado en pacientes con cronicidad avanzada, ya que fue muy prevalente en todas las ubicaciones y trayectorias, especialmente intenso en la insuficiencia de órgano y en la multimorbilidad a domicilio. Apareció dolor irruptivo en trayectorias no oncológicas.(AU)

Objectives: Determine pain prevalence and clinical characteristics in patients with advanced chronic disease and identify breakthrough pain frequency. Design: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study. Location: Three primary care teams and one intermediate care hospital. Participants: All patients with advanced chronic disease. Main measurements: A semi-structured interview was performed to collect demographic, clinical, and specific variables of pain using validated scales. Patient location (home, nursing home or hospital) and advanced chronicity trajectory (organ failure, oncological disease, dementia, or multimorbidity) were recorded. Pain was assessed based on the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) and, in cases of disabling dementia, using the Pain Assessment in Advanced Dementia (PAINAD). A statistical descriptive, comparative analysis between variables was performed using the R software. Results: Of all patients selected, 223 (60.4%) were included. Prevalence of pain: 83.9% (n=187), with no differences based on location or trajectory. Significant differences in pain intensity based on location (P=.0046) (moderate-severe in patients at home, moderate in hospital patients, and mild in nursing home patients) and on trajectory (P<.0001) (moderate-severe in patients with organ failure and multimorbidity, moderate in patients with cancer, and mild in patients with dementia). Global functional impact of pain was mild-moderate, emotional impact was severe in 41.5% of patients (n=51), and breakthrough pain was observed in 8.6% (n=13). Conclusions: Pain must always be explored and assessed in patients with advanced chronicity, since it was highly prevalent in all locations and trajectories, being particularly intense in patients at home with organ failure and multimorbidity. Breakthrough pain was found in non-oncological trajectories.(AU)

Costs of Implementing Electronic Context Factor Assessments and Patient-reported Outcomes in Pain Clinic Settings.

BACKGROUND: The Healing Encounters and Attitudes Lists (HEALs) patient-reported measures, consisting of 6 separate context factor questionnaires, predict patients' pain improvements. Our Patient-centered Outcomes Research Initiative-funded implementation project demonstrated success in using HEAL data during clinic consultations to enhance patient engagement, improve patient outcomes, and reduce opioid prescribing. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the resources needed for additional sites to implement HEAL to improve pain care treatment. RESEARCH DESIGN: An observational study from March 1 to November 30, 2021, assessing implementation cost data from invoices, time and salary requirements for clinic personnel training, estimates of non-site-based costs, and one-time resource development costs. SUBJECTS: Unique patients eligible to complete a HEAL survey (N=24,018) and 74 clinic personnel. MEASURES: The Stages of Implementation Completion guided documentation of preimplementation, implementation, and sustainment activities of HEAL pain clinic operations. These informed the calculations of the costs of implementation. RESULTS: The total time for HEAL implementation is 7 months: preimplementation and implementation phases (4 mo) and sustainment (3 mo). One hour of HEAL implementation involving a future clinical site consisting of 2 attending physicians, 1 midlevel provider, 1 nurse manager, 1 nurse, 1 radiology technician, 2 medical assistants, and 1 front desk staff will cost $572. A 10-minute time increment for all clinic staff is $95. Total implementation costs based on hourly rates over 7 months, including non-site-based costs of consultations, materials, and technology development costs, is $28,287. CONCLUSIONS: Documenting our implementation costs clarifies the resources needed for additional new sites to implement HEAL to measure pain care quality and to engage patients and clinic personnel.

Assessing the Impact of a Humanistic Care-Based Nursing Model on the Psychological Well-being of Trigeminal Neuralgia Outpatients in Pain Clinics.

Objective: This study aims to assess the impact of a humanistic care-based nursing model on the psychological well-being of individuals diagnosed with primary trigeminal neuralgia (TN) and attending a pain clinic. Methods: A prospective cohort study was conducted, including 166 patients diagnosed with primary trigeminal neuralgia who sought treatment at our hospital's Pain Clinic between March 2022 and December 2022. Among them, 88 patients receiving care based on a humanistic care-based nursing model constituted the observation group, while 78 patients receiving standard nursing care comprised the control group. The Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) and Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) were employed to evaluate patients' psychological states. Additionally, changes in systolic and diastolic blood pressure, along with nursing satisfaction levels, were recorded. A three-month follow-up was conducted, during which the recovery quality was assessed using the Questions of Reality-155 (QOR-15). Results: Following the nursing intervention, the observation group displayed lower SAS/SDS scores and reduced diastolic and systolic blood pressure compared to the control group (P < .05). Moreover, nursing satisfaction in the observation group was significantly higher than in the control group (P < .05). The follow-up results demonstrated that the recovery quality of the observation group was higher compared to the control group (P < .05). Conclusions: Implementing a humanistic care-based nursing model effectively enhances the psychological well-being and recovery quality of trigeminal neuralgia outpatients attending pain clinics.

Rapid access chest pain clinics in Australia and New Zealand.

Chest pain is the second most common reason for adult emergency department presentations. Most patients have low or intermediate risk chest pain, which historically has led to inpatient admission for further evaluation. Rapid access chest pain clinics represent an innovative outpatient pathway for these low and intermediate risk patients, and have been shown to be safe and reduce hospital costs. Despite variations in rapid access chest pain clinic models, there are limited data to determine the most effective approach. Developing a national framework could be beneficial to provide sites with evidence, possible models, and business cases. Multicentre data analysis could enhance understanding and monitoring of the service.

Identifying pain problems, healthcare professional perceptions, expectations and challenges in multidisciplinary pain center establishment.

Aim: Before establishing a multidisciplinary pain center (MPC), the pain problem, healthcare professionals (HCP) perceptions, expectations and the potential challenges of MPC establishment need to be identified. Methods: A quantitative survey study of 1058 Indonesian HCPs. The study uses a national inquiry sent by the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) chapter for pain. Results: 99.0% of respondents had met patients with pain as the primary complaint and acute pain as the most common complaint. Insufficient pain management in Indonesian healthcare, insufficient pain epidemiological data and unaware HCP about MPC become problems of pain management in Indonesia. However, most HCP agreed that health facilities should have MPC. Financial issues (insufficient patient insurance) were considered the most important barrier for referring patients to MPC. Conclusion: The identified core problem, HCP perceptions, expectations and challenges of MPC establishment should become a consideration in the strategic planning of MPC establishment.

Multidisciplinary pain centers (MPC) provide benefits to patients, healthcare professionals (HCP) and the community in general but are not yet established in Indonesia and other developing countries. Before establishing a MPC, the problem in pain, HCP's perceptions, expectations and challenges in MPC establishment need to be identified. From the national survey on 1058 HCP, almost all respondents (99.0%) had met patients with pain as the primary complaint and acute pain as the most common complaint (51.2%). Insufficient pain management in Indonesian healthcare, insufficient pain epidemiological data and unaware HCP about MPC have become problems in pain management in Indonesia. However, most HCP agreed that health facilities should have pain centers as well as a center for the study of pain and recommended 'pain that requires intervention' should be referred to a MPC. Financial issues such as insufficient patient insurance was considered the most important barrier for referring patients to MPCs in Indonesia. The high incidence of pain, insufficient pain management in health facilities and insufficient data on pain have become the core problem that underlies the need for MPC establishment in Indonesia. Overall, HCPs have positive perceptions and expectations regarding MPCs. Financial barriers are thought to be a potential burden in the development of MPCs. By understanding the pain problem, HCP perceptions, expectations and potential challenges on the MPC establishment, strategic planning in MPC establishment is expected to be achieved especially in developing countries.

Impact of a rapid access chest pain clinic in Singapore to improve evaluation of new-onset chest pain.

BACKGROUND: Chest pain (CP) accounts for 5% of emergency department (ED) visits, unplanned hospitalisations and costly admissions. Conversely, outpatient evaluation requires multiple hospital visits and longer time to complete testing. Rapid access chest pain clinics (RACPCS) are established in the UK for timely, cost-effective CP assessment. This study aims to evaluate the feasibility, safety, clinical and economic benefits of a nurse-led RACPC in a multiethnic Asian country. METHODS: Consecutive CP patients referred from a polyclinic to the local general hospital were recruited. Referring physicians were left to their discretion to refer patients to the ED, RACPC (launched in April 2019) or outpatients. Patient demographics, diagnostic journey, clinical outcomes, costs, HEART (History, ECG, Age, Risk Factors, Troponin) scores and 1-year overall mortality were recorded. RESULTS: 577 CP patients (median HEAR score of 2.0) were referred; 237 before the launch of RACPC. Post RACPC, fewer patients were referred to the ED (46.5% vs 73.9%, p < 0.01), decreased adjusted bed days for CP, more non-invasive tests (46.8 vs 39.2 per 100 referrals, p = 0.07) and fewer invasive coronary angiograms (5.6 vs 12.2 per 100 referrals, p < 0.01) were performed. Time from referral to diagnosis was shortened by 90%, while requiring 66% less visits (p < 0.01). System cost to evaluate CP was reduced by 20.7% and all RACPC patients were alive at 12 months. CONCLUSIONS: An Asian nurse-led RACPC expedited specialist evaluation of CP with less visits, reduced ED attendances and invasive testing whilst saving costs. Wider implementation across Asia would significantly improve CP evaluation.