Chronic pain: challenges and opportunities for relieving suffering.

This issue of the NCMJ addresses the problem of chronic pain in North Carolina; its diagnosis and management in primary and specialty care; and the need to balance efficacy and safety when prescribing opioid medications, as these drugs are associated with significant potential for misuse and abuse. The commentaries in this issue not only address the use of opioids for the management of chronic pain but also explore various alternatives, including medical marijuana, epidural and other injections, surgery, acupuncture, and other integrative therapies. Articles in this issue also describe the management of chronic pain in palliative care, the ways in which mental health affects pain, and the unintended consequences of chronic pain management. Finally, this issue describes several initiatives across the state that are addressing the epidemic of prescription drug abuse; these initiatives are effecting systematic changes in clinical practice to more effectively manage chronic pain, protect patients, and minimize the negative impact of prescription drug abuse on communities.

Multisite qualitative study of primary care physicians' and midlevel providers' self-reported practices and perceptions about maintaining cognitive health.

INTRODUCTION: To facilitate national efforts to maintain cognitive health through public health practice, the Healthy Brain Initiative recommended examining diverse groups to identify stakeholder perspectives on cognitive health. In response, the Healthy Aging Research Network (HAN), funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), coordinated projects to document the perspectives of older adults, caregivers of people with dementia, and primary care providers (PCPs) on maintaining cognitive health. Our objective was to describe PCPs' perceptions and practices regarding cognitive health. METHODS: HAN researchers conducted 10 focus groups and 3 interviews with physicians (N = 28) and advanced practice providers (N = 21) in Colorado, Texas, and North Carolina from June 2007 to November 2008. Data were transcribed and coded axially. RESULTS: PCPs reported addressing cognitive health with patients only indirectly in the context of physical health or in response to observed functional changes and patient or family requests. Some providers felt evidence on the efficacy of preventive strategies for cognitive health was insufficient, but many reported suggesting activities such as games and social interaction when queried by patients. PCPs identified barriers to talking with patients about cognitive health such as lack of time and patient reactions to recommendations. CONCLUSION: Communicating new evidence on cognitive health and engaging older adults in making lasting lifestyle changes recommended by PCPs and others may be practical ways in which public health practitioners can partner with PCPs to address cognitive health in health care settings.

The Lived Experience of Already-Lonely Older Adults During COVID-19.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: From the outset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, analysts warned that older populations, due to their age, chronic illnesses, and lack of technological facility, would suffer disproportionately from loneliness as they sheltered in place indefinitely. Several studies have recently been published on the impact of COVID-19-related loneliness among older populations, but little has been written about the experiences of already-lonely older individuals; those who had lived with persistent loneliness before the advent of COVID-19. This qualitative study sought to understand how already-lonely older individuals navigated and endured the social isolation of the pandemic. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Twelve semistructured interviews were conducted with individuals aged 65 or older who scored a 6 or above on the 3-item UCLA Loneliness Risk screening tool. Interviews were coded using the constant comparative method. Themes and understandings of loneliness that reoccurred within and across interviews were identified and collected. RESULTS: Already-isolated older interviewees did not necessarily experience the abject loneliness hypothesized by analysts. Most interviewees used longstanding arrangements, in place to mitigate loneliness and endure social isolation, to manage the social deprivation of COVID-19. As a result, their loneliness did not compound during long bouts of mandated social isolation. To the contrary, loneliness during the pandemic appeared to carry a new valence for interviewees, as COVID-19 imbued their isolation with new meaning, rendering their loneliness necessary and responsible. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Exploring individuals' subjective perceptions of loneliness can help provide a deeper understanding of what it means to be isolated and alone during COVID-19 and aid in designing strategies to mitigate loneliness.

Results From a Survey of American Geriatrics Society Members' Views on Physician-Assisted Suicide.

BACKGROUND: Physician-assisted suicide (PAS) is a controversial practice, currently legal in nine states and the District of Columbia. No prior study explores the views of the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) membership on PAS. DESIGN: We surveyed 1488 randomly selected AGS members via email. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 369 AGS members completed the survey (24.8% response rate). ANALYSIS: We conducted bivariate correlation analyses of beliefs related to support for PAS. We also conducted qualitative analysis of open-ended responses. RESULTS: There was no consensus regarding the acceptability of PAS, with 47% supporting and 52% opposing this practice. PAS being legal in the respondent's state, belief that respect for autonomy alone is sufficient to justify PAS, and intent to prescribe or support requests for PAS if legal in state of practice all correlated with support for PAS. There was no consensus on whether the AGS should oppose, support, or adopt a neutral stance on PAS. Most respondents believed that PAS is more complex among patients with low health literacy, low English proficiency, disability, dependency, or frailty. Most respondents supported mandatory palliative care consultation and independent assessments from two physicians. Themes identified from qualitative analysis include role of the medical profession, uncertainty of the role of professional organizations, potential unintended consequences, autonomy, and ethical and moral considerations. CONCLUSION: There was no consensus among respondents regarding the acceptability of PAS. Respondents expressed concern about vulnerable older populations and the need for safeguards when responding to requests for PAS. Ethical, legal, and policy discussions regarding PAS should consider vulnerable populations. J Am Geriatr Soc 68:23-30, 2019.

Impact of a decision aid on surrogate decision-makers' perceptions of feeding options for patients with dementia.

OBJECTIVES: In advanced dementia, feeding problems are nearly universal, and families face difficult decisions about feeding options. Initial interviews for a randomized trial were used to describe surrogates' perceptions of feeding options, and to determine whether a decision aid on feeding options in advanced dementia would improve knowledge, reduce expectation of benefit from tube feeding, and reduce conflict over treatment choices for persons with advanced dementia. DESIGN: Semistructured interview with prestudy and poststudy design for surrogates in the intervention group. SETTING: Twenty-four skilled nursing facilities across North Carolina participating in a cluster randomized trial. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and fifty-five surrogate decision makers for nursing home residents with advanced dementia and feeding problems, in control (n = 129) and intervention (n = 126) groups. INTERVENTION: For intervention surrogates only, an audiovisual-print decision aid provided information on dementia, feeding problems in dementia, advantages and disadvantages of feeding tubes or assisted oral feeding options, and the role of surrogates in making these decisions. MEASUREMENTS: The interview included open-ended items asking surrogates to report advantages and disadvantages of tube feeding and assisted oral feeding. Knowledge of feeding options was measured with 19 true/false items and items measuring expectation of benefit from tube feeding. Surrogates reported which of these two feeding options they preferred for the person with dementia, and how confident they were in this choice; their level of conflict about the choice was measured using the decisional conflict scale. RESULTS: Before the decision aid, surrogates described advantages and disadvantages of assisted oral feeding and tube feeding in practical, ethical, and medical terms. After review of the decision aid, intervention surrogates had improved knowledge scores (15.5 vs 16.8; P < .001), decreased expectation of benefits from tube feeding (2.73 vs 2.32; P = .001), and reduced decisional conflict (2.24 vs 1.91; P < .001). Surrogates preferred assisted oral feeding initially and reported more certainty about this choice after the decision aid. CONCLUSIONS: A structured decision aid can be used to improve decision making about feeding options in dementia care.

Analgesic medication errors in North Carolina nursing homes.

The objective of this study was to characterize analgesic medication errors and to evaluate their association with patient harm. The authors conducted a cross-sectional analysis of individual medication error incidents reported by North Carolina nursing homes to the Medication Error Quality Initiative (MEQI) during fiscal years 2010-2011. Bivariate associations between analgesic medication errors with patient factors, error-related factors, and impact on patients were tested with chi-square tests. A multivariate logistic regression model explored the relationship between type of analgesic medication errors and patient harm, controlling for patient- and error-related factors. A total of 32,176 individual medication error incidents were reported over a 2-year period in North Carolina nursing homes, 12.3% (n = 3949) of which were analgesic medication errors. Of these analgesic medication errors, opioid and nonopioid analgesics were involved in 3105 and 844 errors, respectively. Opioid errors were more likely to be wrong drug errors, wrong dose errors, and administration errors compared with nonopioid errors (P < .0001 for all comparisons). In the multivariate model, opioid errors were found to have higher odds of patient harm compared with nonopioid errors (odds ratio [OR] = 3, 95% confodence interval [CI]: 1.1-7.8). The authors conclude that opioid analgesics represent the majority of analgesic error reports, and these error reports reflect an increased likelihood of patient harm compared with nonopioid analgesics.

Exploratory evaluation of medication classes most commonly involved in nursing home errors.

BACKGROUND: Medication errors may potentially pose significant risk of harmful outcomes in vulnerable nursing home residents. Current literature lacks data regarding the drug classes most frequently involved in errors in this population and their risk relative to underlying drug class utilization rates. OBJECTIVES: This study (1) describes the frequency and error characteristics for the drug classes most commonly involved in medication errors in nursing homes, and (2) examines the correlation between drug class utilization rates and their involvement in medication errors in nursing home residents. DESIGN: A cross-sectional analysis of individual medication error incidents reported by North Carolina nursing homes to the Medication Error Quality Initiative during fiscal years 2010 to 2011 was conducted. PARTICIPANTS: All nursing home residents in the state of North Carolina. MAIN MEASURES: The 10 drug classes most frequently involved in medication errors were identified. Characteristics and patient impact of these medication errors were further examined as frequencies and proportions within each drug class. Medication error data were combined with data from the 2004 National Nursing Home Survey to capture nationally representative estimates of medication use by drug class in nursing home patients. The correlation between medication utilization and error involvement was assessed. RESULTS: There were 32,176 individual medication errors reported to Medication Error Quality Initiative in years 2010-2011. The 10 drug classes most commonly involved in medication errors were analgesics (12.27%), anxiolytics/sedative/hypnotics (8.39%), antidiabetic agents (5.86%), anticoagulants (5.04%), anticonvulsants (4.05%), antidepressants (4.05%), laxatives (3.13%), ophthalmic preparations (2.77%), antipsychotics (2.47%), and diuretics (2.34%). The correlation between utilization and medication error involvement was not statistically significant (P value for spearman correlation coefficient = .88), suggesting certain drug classes are more likely to be involved in medication errors in nursing home patients regardless of the extent of their use. CONCLUSIONS: The drug classes frequently and disproportionately involved in errors in nursing homes include anxiolytics/sedatives/hypnotics, antidiabetic agents, anticoagulants, anticonvulsants, and ophthalmic preparations. Better understanding of the causes and prevention strategies to reduce these errors may improve nursing home patient safety.

Health care professionals' perceptions and use of the medical orders for scope of treatment (MOST) form in North Carolina nursing homes.

OBJECTIVES: To characterize the self-reported practices and opinions of nursing home (NH) health care professionals using the North Carolina Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment (MOST) form, an adaptation of the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) paradigm. DESIGN: A cross-sectional survey and semistructured interviews. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Six physicians, 3 nurse practitioners, and 2 social workers from 2 NHs in North Carolina. MEASUREMENTS: Survey items covered timing and appropriateness of form completion, review criteria, barriers, and concerns about using the form. Interviews clarified survey responses and elicited descriptions of how subjects explain the scope of medical interventions to patients/families. RESULTS: NH admission and routine care plan meetings were considered the most important times to complete the MOST form. Treatment options on the form were often introduced in the context of patient preferences for hospitalization; however, there were considerable differences in how health care professionals explained and interpreted the scope of medical interventions. Nearly all health care professionals (10/11) believed that the form improves communication between physicians and patients/families. Only 3 of 11 respondents were aware of all of the MOST form's review requirements. Time was the most commonly cited barrier to use of the form. Respondents were concerned about forms getting lost or not being honored outside of the NH. CONCLUSION: Health care professionals generally viewed the MOST form as a useful tool for communicating patient treatment preferences in the NH. However, they may need specific strategies for explaining and interpreting the scope of medical interventions section and for meeting the form's review requirements.

Improving decision-making for feeding options in advanced dementia: a randomized, controlled trial.

OBJECTIVES: To test whether a decision aid improves quality of decision-making about feeding options in advanced dementia. DESIGN: Cluster randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Twenty-four nursing homes in North Carolina. PARTICIPANTS: Residents with advanced dementia and feeding problems and their surrogates. INTERVENTION: Intervention surrogates received an audio or print decision aid on feeding options in advanced dementia. Controls received usual care. MEASUREMENTS: Primary outcome was the Decisional Conflict Scale (range: 1-5) measured at 3 months; other main outcomes were surrogate knowledge, frequency of communication with providers, and feeding treatment use. RESULTS: Two hundred fifty-six residents and surrogate decision-makers were recruited. Residents' average age was 85; 67% were Caucasian, and 79% were women. Surrogates' average age was 59; 67% were Caucasian, and 70% were residents' children. The intervention improved knowledge scores (16.8 vs 15.1, P < .001). After 3 months, intervention surrogates had lower Decisional Conflict Scale scores than controls (1.65 vs 1.90, P < .001) and more often discussed feeding options with a healthcare provider (46% vs 33%, P = .04). Residents in the intervention group were more likely to receive a dysphagia diet (89% vs 76%, P = .04) and showed a trend toward greater staff eating assistance (20% vs 10%, P = .08). Tube feeding was rare in both groups even after 9 months (1 intervention vs 3 control, P = .34). CONCLUSION: A decision aid about feeding options in advanced dementia reduced decisional conflict for surrogates and increased their knowledge and communication about feeding options with providers.

Pain, dyspnea, and the quality of dying in long-term care.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the relationship between pain, dyspnea, and family perceptions of the quality of dying in long-term care. DESIGN: After-death interviews. SETTING: Stratified random sample of 111 nursing homes and residential care and assisted living facilities in four states. PARTICIPANTS: Paired interviews from facility staff and family caregivers for 325 deceased residents. MEASUREMENTS: The outcome variable was the Quality of Dying in Long-Term Care (QOD-LTC), a psychometrically sound, retrospective scale representing psychosocial aspects of the quality of dying, obtained from interviews with family caregivers. Facility staff reported the presence, frequency, and severity of pain and dyspnea. RESULTS: During the last month of life, nearly half of residents experienced pain or dyspnea. QOD-LTC scores did not differ for residents with and without pain (4.15 vs 4.02, P=.16). Overall, residents with dyspnea had better QOD-LTC scores than those without dyspnea (4.20 vs 3.99, P=.006). The association between dyspnea and a better QOD-LTC score was strongest in cognitively impaired residents and for those dying in residential care and assisted living facilities. CONCLUSION: For residents dying in long-term care, pain and dyspnea were not associated with a poorer quality of dying as perceived by families of deceased residents. Instead, dyspnea may alert staff to the need for care. Initiatives to improve the quality of dying in long-term care should focus not only on physical symptoms, but also on the alleviation of nonphysical sources of suffering at the end of life.

Symptom experience of dying long-term care residents.

OBJECTIVES: To describe the end-of-life symptoms of nursing home (NH) and residential care/assisted living (RC/AL) residents, compare staff and family symptom ratings, and compare how staff assess pain and dyspnea for cognitively impaired and cognitively intact residents. DESIGN: After-death interviews. SETTING: Stratified random sample of 230 long-term care facilities in four states. PARTICIPANTS: Staff (n=674) and family (n=446) caregivers for dying residents. MEASUREMENTS: Interview items measured frequency and severity of physical symptoms, effectiveness of treatment, recommendations to improve care, and staff report of assessment. RESULTS: Decedents' median age was 85, 89% were white, and 77% were cognitively impaired. In their last month of life, 47% had pain, 48% dyspnea, 90% problems with cleanliness, and 72% symptoms affecting intake. Problems with cleanliness, intake, and overall symptom burden were worse for decedents in NHs than for those in RC/AL. Treatment for pain and dyspnea was rated very effective for only half of decedents. For a subset of residents with both staff and family interviews (n=331), overall ratings of care were similar, although agreement in paired analyses was modest (kappa=-0.043-0.425). Staff relied on nonverbal expressions to assess dyspnea but not pain. Both groups of caregivers recommended improved application of treatment and increased staffing to improve care. CONCLUSION: In NHs and RC/AL, dying residents have high rates of physical symptoms and need for more-effective palliation of symptoms near the end of life.