Does smoking status affect multidisciplinary pain facility treatment outcome?

Objectives: Smoking may be a major problem in chronic low back pain (LBP) patients. The goal of this study was to determine whether smoking status affected multidisciplinary pain facility treatment outcome.

Design: As part of a grant study, chronic LBP patients identified themselves as either current smokers (N = 81) or current nonsmokers (N = 140), and were compared by chi-square for employment status at 1, 6, 12, and 24 months after multidisciplinary pain facility treatment.

What percentage of chronic nonmalignant pain patients exposed to chronic opioid analgesic therapy develop abuse/addiction and/or aberrant drug-related behaviors? A structured evidence-based review.

Design: This is a structured evidence-based review of all available studies on the development of abuse/addiction and aberrant drug-related behaviors (ADRBs) in chronic pain patients (CPPs) with nonmalignant pain on exposure to chronic opioid analgesic therapy (COAT).

Objectives: To determine what percentage of CPPs develop abuse/addiction and/or ADRBs on COAT exposure.

Method: Computer and manual literature searches yielded 79 references that addressed this area of study.

Can the neuropathic pain scale discriminate between non-neuropathic and neuropathic pain?

Objectives: 1) To determine if the neuropathic pain scale (NPS) can be used to classify chronic pain patients (CPPs) as having primarily neuropathic vs non-neuropathic pain, and furthermore; 2) to determine what, if any, cut-off score can be used to reliably make this determination.

Design: A total of 305 CPPs consecutive admissions to The Rosomoff Pain Center were administered the NPS and were assigned a diagnosis according to the physical examination and all available test results. CPPs with a diagnosis of chronic radiculopathy and spondylolysis/degenerative arthritis were segregated into two groups for the purposes of having a group representative of neuropathic pain (chronic radiculopathy) and non-neuropathic pain (spondylolysis/degenerative arthritis).

Variables associated with current smoking status in chronic pain patients.

Objectives: Smokers may report more pain and may be at greater risk for psychiatric comorbidity. Smoking may be a major problem in chronic pain patients (CPPs). The goal of this study was to determine if pain and psychiatric comorbidity are associated with smoking status in CPPs.

Medicolegal rounds: medicolegal issues and alleged breaches of standards of medical care in a patient motor vehicle accident allegedly related to chronic opioid analgesic therapy.

The objective of this medicolegal case report is to present the details of the case of a chronic pain patient (CPP) who was placed on chronic opioid analgesic therapy (COAT) and was involved in a motor vehicle accident, alleged in litigation to be related to COAT. COAT standards are in a process of evolution, and this process is influenced by recent literature developments. We aim to present both the plaintiffs and defendant's expert witnesses' opinions on whether the defendant physician fell below the "standard" in allowing the CPP to drive.