Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for March 2017. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
90 Percent of U.S. Physicians Satisfied With Career Choice
FRIDAY, March 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Nine out of 10 American doctors are happy with their choice of profession, even though they have some challenges, according to an American Medical Association (AMA) survey of 1,200 doctors, residents, and medical students, conducted in February.
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Vertical Integration Insurance Products of Higher Quality
FRIDAY, March 31, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Insurance products offered by hospitals and health systems, known as vertical integration, are generally of higher quality than other contracts, according to a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs.
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Chronic Tension-Type Headache Tied to Cognitive Impairment
THURSDAY, March 30, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with chronic tension-type headache (CTTH) have impairments in cognitive ability and dysfunction in the neuroendocrine state, according to a study published online March 24 in Pain Practice.
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TV Ads for ACA Enrollment Linked to Decline in Uninsured Rates
TUESDAY, March 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The volume of insurance advertisements during the first Affordable Care Act enrollment period correlated with change in uninsurance rates, with a higher volume of television advertisements linked to declines in uninsurance, according to a study published online March 15 in Health Affairs.
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ACP Issues Challenge to Cut Task Burden and Put Patients First
TUESDAY, March 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- In a position paper published online March 28 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, recommendations are presented to address the impact of administrative tasks and reduce the administrative burden on clinicians.
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Paid Malpractice Claims Cut in Half From 1992 to 2014 in U.S.
MONDAY, March 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- From 1992 to 2014 there was a decrease in the rate of malpractice claims paid on behalf of physicians in the United States, but mean compensation amounts increased, according to a study published online March 27 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Review: Several Classes of Drugs Treat Pain of Diabetic Neuropathy
MONDAY, March 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Several classes of drugs reduce neuropathy-related pain better than placebo, according to a review published online March 24 in Neurology.
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30-Day Mortality Down During Joint Commission Survey Weeks
THURSDAY, March 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Patients admitted to the hospital during The Joint Commission on-site inspections (surveys) have reduced mortality compared to that seen during non-survey weeks, according to research published online March 20 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Pregabalin Doesn't Cut Intensity of Sciatica-Linked Leg Pain
WEDNESDAY, March 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Pregabalin does not significantly reduce the intensity of leg pain associated with sciatica, according to a study published in the March 23 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Opioid Users Incur Higher Costs After Elective Abdominal Surgery
WEDNESDAY, March 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Preoperative opioid use is associated with increased health care utilization and costs after elective abdominal surgery, according to a study published in the April issue of the Annals of Surgery.
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Black, Asian Medical Students Less Likely to Be AΩA Members
TUESDAY, March 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Black and Asian medical students are less likely to be members of the Alpha Omega Alpha (AΩA) honor society than white students, according to a study published online March 6 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Intradiscal Steroid Offers Short-Term Relief of Lower Back Pain
TUESDAY, March 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with chronic low back pain (LBP) with active discopathy, a single glucocorticoid intradiscal injection (GC IDI) is associated with reduced LBP at one month but not 12 months after the intervention, according to a study published online March 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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New Device for Peripheral Nerve Stim Cuts Chronic Low Back Pain
MONDAY, March 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A novel method of short-term percutaneous peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is useful for producing pain relief and reducing medication use among patients with chronic low back pain (LBP), according to a case report published online March 14 in Pain Practice.
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Initial Rx Can Affect Likelihood of Long-Term Opioid Use
FRIDAY, March 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors who limit the supply of opioids they prescribe to three days or less may help patients reduce their risk of dependence and addiction, according to research published in the March 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
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Los Angeles eConsult Program Can Reduce Wait Times
FRIDAY, March 17, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Implementation of an electronic system for provision of specialty care was rapidly adopted in Los Angeles, and it can reduce wait times to see specialists, according to a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs.
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Concurrent Benzodiazepine, Opioid Use Up Significantly
WEDNESDAY, March 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- From 2001 to 2013, concurrent benzodiazepine/opioid use significantly increased in privately-insured patients in the United States, according to a report published online March 14 in The BMJ.
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Women Underrepresented Among Grand Rounds Speakers
WEDNESDAY, March 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Women seem to be underrepresented among academic grand rounds (GR) speakers, according to a research letter published online March 6 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Inpatient Rehab Doesn't Up Total Knee Arthroplasty Outcomes
WEDNESDAY, March 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The use of inpatient rehabilitation in addition to home-based rehabilitation does not improve mobility at 26 weeks after total knee arthroplasty, according to a study published in the March 14 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Support for Health Law Up to 48 Percent in February
TUESDAY, March 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Support for the health law is increasing, with most Americans feeling that Medicaid should continue as it is today, according to a report published by Kaiser Health News.
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Risk of Heart Failure Up for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients
TUESDAY, March 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased risk of heart failure, according to a study published in the March 14 issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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Higher Spending by Physicians Not Tied to Better Outcomes
MONDAY, March 13, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Medicare patients treated by higher-spending physicians are just as likely to be readmitted or die within 30 days of being admitted to the hospital as patients treated by doctors who order fewer or less-expensive tests and treatments, according to a study published online March 13 in JAMA Internal Medicine.
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Musculoskeletal Symptoms Predict Psoriatic Arthritis
MONDAY, March 13, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- For patients with psoriasis, nonspecific musculoskeletal symptoms, including joint pain, fatigue, and stiffness, predict the development of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), according to a study published in the March issue of Arthritis & Rheumatology.
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Anti-Inflammatory Foods May Mediate Pain in Obese Patients
FRIDAY, March 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- People who are overweight and experiencing chronic pain may find relief in a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods, according to a study published in the February issue of PAIN.
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QI Project Ups Jet Injection of Lidocaine in IV Placements
FRIDAY, March 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- A quality improvement project can increase jet injection of lidocaine (JIL) use with intravenous (IV) placements in the emergency department, according to a quality report published online March 9 in Pediatrics.
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Aromatherapy Massage Helpful for Female Cancer Patients
FRIDAY, March 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Female cancer patients report positive experiences with aromatherapy massage (ATM), according to a study published online March 2 in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.
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ACA's Medicaid Expansion May Pose Challenges to Timely Care
THURSDAY, March 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- People living in states that expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) are less likely to be uninsured or struggling with the strain of unpaid medical bills, but they also seem to have increased difficulty receiving timely care, according to research published in the March 9 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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CDC: Arthritis Limits the Activities of 24 Million U.S. Adults
WEDNESDAY, March 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- One in four adults in America report an arthritis diagnosis, with the number of individuals disabled by it up 20 percent since 2002, according to a report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
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Migraine Consistently Tied to Cervical Artery Dissection
TUESDAY, March 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Cervical arterial dissection (CEAD) increases risk of ischemic stroke (IS), and appears related to history of migraine headaches in some younger adults, according to a study published online March 6 in JAMA Neurology.
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Republicans Introduce Affordable Care Act Replacement
TUESDAY, March 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- An initial Republican replacement for the Affordable Care Act was formally introduced in the House of Representatives on Monday.
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Most Health Care Providers Can Offer Cost Estimate
MONDAY, March 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Most provider organizations can offer a cost estimate, although few patients request one, according to a report published by Becker's Hospital CFO.
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Neurofeedback Aids in Reducing Chemo-Related Nerve Damage
MONDAY, March 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Learning to control brain waves with neurofeedback appears to help cancer survivors ease symptoms of chronic chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN), according to a study published online March 3 in Cancer.
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Judgement Bias in Medical Device Recall Decisions
FRIDAY, March 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- The characteristics of the signal in user feedback of adverse events associated with medical devices and the situated context of decision makers correlate with judgement bias in reacting to these adverse events, according to research published online Jan. 29 in Production and Operations Management.
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Overall, 8.8 Percent of U.S. Population Uninsured in 2016
THURSDAY, March 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Overall, 8.8 percent of individuals of all ages were uninsured in the first nine months of 2016, which marked a nonsignificant reduction from 2015, according to a Feb. 14 report from the National Center for Health Statistics.
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Wireless Stimulation Device May Help Reduce Migraine Pain
THURSDAY, March 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) -- Remote nonpainful electrical upper arm skin stimulation may be a promising new treatment for migraines, particularly when applied early in an attack, according to a study published online March 1 in Neurology.
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