Case study investigating effect of implementing strategies for reducing patient complaints in an outpatient pain clinic.

This case study explores the impact of improving communication for reducing complaints in an outpatient pain clinic. A retrospective review was conducted for two 6-month periods prior to and for 6 months after implementing a structured communication strategy that included changes in staff behavior and documentation. Most complaints were related to not receiving opioids as part of the treatment plan.

The role of volunteer services at cancer centers.

Volunteer services can be effectively used to provide valuable supportive services to patients with cancer and their family. Providing companionship, a sense of self-worth, information, and respite care are among the important services typically provided by volunteers through outpatient, inpatient, and hospice services. Supportive benefits have been linked with reduced symptoms and may even enhance survival.

Including a range of outcome targets offers a broader view of fibromyalgia treatment outcome: results from a retrospective review of multidisciplinary treatment.

Background: Fibromyalgia is associated with substantial functional disability. Current drug and non-drug treatments result in statistically significant but numerically small improvements in typical numeric measures of pain severity and fibromyalgia impact.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to evaluate additional measures of pain severity and functional outcome that might be affected by fibromyalgia treatment.

Sumatriptan : treatment across the full spectrum of migraine.

Introduction: Triptans are the first-line treatment for moderate-to-severe migraine headaches. Sumatriptan , the first triptan, is available in different formulations, including subcutaneous (SQ), intranasal, transdermal, oral, and suppository options.

Areas Covered: Sumatriptan formulations have different pharmacokinetic, efficacy, and adverse event profiles.

Vestibular migraine: clinical aspects and pathophysiology.

Vestibular migraine is becoming recognised as a distinct clinical entity that accounts for a high proportion of patients with vestibular symptoms. A temporal overlap between vestibular symptoms, such as vertigo and head-movement intolerance, and migraine symptoms, such as headache, photophobia, and phonophobia, is a requisite diagnostic criterion. Physical examination and laboratory testing are usually normal in vestibular migraine but can be used to rule out other vestibular disorders with overlapping symptoms.

Brief, self-report fibromyalgia screener evaluated in a sample of chronic pain patients.

Objective: To validate a self-report fibromyalgia screener in a chronic pain population.

Design: Adults with chronic pain were evaluated with a six-item, self-report fibromyalgia screening tool based on revised American College of Rheumatology (ACR) fibromyalgia diagnostic criteria, with fibromyalgia diagnosed when patients experienced chronic pain and scored ≥13 on the ACR fibromyalgia symptom severity scale. Patients were independently assigned clinical diagnoses by treating clinicians.

Milnacipran for fibromyalgia: a useful addition to the treatment armamentarium.

Introduction: Antidepressants are used to treat a variety of chronic pain conditions including peripheral neuropathy, headache, and more recently, fibromyalgia. The antidepressant milnacipran blocks the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin and is used for the management of fibromyalgia.

Areas Covered: The article contains data primarily obtained from the MEDLINE database using a PubMed search of the keywords including milnacipran, fibromyalgia and depression.

The science behind animal-assisted therapy.

Animal-assisted therapy is a complementary medicine intervention, typically utilizing dogs trained to be obedient, calm, and comforting. Several studies have reported significant pain relief after participating in therapy dog visits. Objective reports of reduced pain and pain-related symptoms are supported by studies measuring decreased catecholamines and increased endorphins in humans receiving friendly dog visits.

Symptomatic improvement reported after receiving Reiki at a cancer infusion center.

Objective: To evaluate patient-perceived benefits from receiving Reiki at a cancer infusion center.

Methods: During a 6-month period, adults at a university hospital receiving Reiki through volunteer services were invited to complete a survey asking about perceived changes after Reiki. Changes in pain, mood, distress, sleep, and appetite were rated on a 5-point scale from no benefit to great benefit.

Survey of migraine sufferers with dogs to evaluate for canine migraine-alerting behaviors.

Objectives: Anecdotal reports suggest that changes in dog behavior might be used to predict impending migraine episodes. This survey was designed to investigate how companion dogs react to migraines that occur in their owners.

Design: Online survey was available from January 4-31, 2012.

Fibromyalgia family and relationship impact exploratory survey.

Background: Fibromyalgia is frequently associated with impairments in activities of daily living and work disability. Limited data have investigated the impact of fibromyalgia on relationships with family and friends.

Objectives: This exploratory study was designed to survey a large community sample of adults with fibromyalgia about the impact on the spouse/partner, children and close friends.

Impact of animal-assisted therapy for outpatients with fibromyalgia.

Objectives: Animal-assisted therapy using dogs trained to be calm and provide comfort to strangers has been used as a complementary therapy for a range of medical conditions. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of brief therapy dog visits for fibromyalgia patients attending a tertiary outpatient pain management facility compared with time spent in a waiting room.

Design: Open label with waiting room control.

Migraine and motion sensitivity.

Purpose Of Review: This article describes vestibular migraine and motion sensitivity. Migraine headache is often accompanied by dizziness or unsteadiness. A diagnosis of vestibular migraine requires that a patient meet International Headache Society criteria for migraine headache, have episodic or fluctuating symptoms highly suggestive of a balance disorder, have no recognized alternative neuro-otologic diagnosis, and experience migrainous symptoms during episodes of vertigo or imbalance.

Complementary medicine in cancer care: adding a therapy dog to the team.

Animal-assisted therapy, including visits from certified therapy dogs, offer a valuable and often underutilized resource for addressing unmet needs in cancer patients. Prospective research studies have documented symptomatic benefits for reducing pain, psychological distress, and fatigue in a variety of patient populations, including cancer patients. Utilizing consistent policies minimizes patient risk and infection control concerns associated with animal visits.

Animal-assisted therapy at an outpatient pain management clinic.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of brief therapy dog visits to an outpatient pain management facility compared with time spent in a waiting room.

Design: The design of this study is open-label. Setting.

Epidemiology of cancer pain.

About half of cancer patients experience pain, most commonly due to their primary cancer. Pain severity is at least moderate for most patients experiencing cancer-related pain. Pain may also persist in long-term cancer survivors.

Rizatriptan reduces vestibular-induced motion sickness in migraineurs.

A previous pilot study suggested that rizatriptan reduces motion sickness induced by complex vestibular stimulation. In this double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled study we measured motion sickness in response to a complex vestibular stimulus following pretreatment with either rizatriptan or a placebo. Subjects included 25 migraineurs with or without migraine-related dizziness (23 females) aged 21-45 years (31.

A prospective comparison between ICHD-II and probability menstrual migraine diagnostic criteria.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the diagnosis of menstrual migraine (MM) by comparing 2 diagnostic systems.

Methods: Female migraineurs self-reporting a substantial relationship between migraine and menses were evaluated with 3 consecutive months of daily headache recording diaries. A relationship between menses and migraine was evaluated using International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II) criteria and a probability model called Probability MM.

Perimenstrual eletriptan prevents menstrual migraine: an open-label study.

Objective: To prospectively evaluate the efficacy of perimenstrual prophylaxis with eletriptan to reduce headaches in women identified with menstrual migraine (MM).

Methods: Female migraineurs self-reporting a substantial relationship between migraine and menses were evaluated with 3 consecutive months of daily headache recording diaries. A relationship between menses and migraine was evaluated using International Classification of Headache Disorders (ICHD-II) criteria and a probability model called Probability MM.