Pain management in developing countries.

Access to pain relief is an integral part of peri-operative care jointly managed by clinicians and nursing staff. Simple regimens, relying on inexpensive drugs, are often not followed due to inadequate healthcare systems. This article describes some of the common challenges, and suggests practical approaches to overcoming them.

The use of stop signals to reduce the pain and distress of patients undergoing a stressful medical procedure: an exploratory clinical study.

The present study investigates stop signals and their effects on the pain and distress of patients undergoing a stressful medical procedure. Thirty-six chronic pain patients (17 men, 19 women) attending an out-patient operating theatre for diagnostic nerve blocks/local anaesthetic injections were allocated to one of two conditions (experimental and control). All patients received a standard information leaflet concerning the forthcoming injections.