Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients with chronic pain in Germany: Associations with expectations and control beliefs.

Background: While the COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people's well-being worldwide, it may place a particularly high burden on people with chronic pain, as pain is known to be influenced by societal and psychological conditions.

Methods: In this observational study, we conducted telephone interviews with 196 patients with chronic pain to assess the impact of the pandemic on various aspects of their pain and everyday life. The initial interviews were conducted between April and May 2020 and were followed up by a second interview between August and December 2020.

Opioid use in chronic noncancer pain: guidelines revisited.

Purpose Of Review: The treatment of chronic noncancer pain with opioids is controversial. This review aims to find answers to three questions patients and physicians might have: how much (pain relief can be expected), how long (will pain relief be sustained) and how bad (are side-effects)? To this end, we reviewed the second generation of clinical guidelines on this topic. These are based on a significantly higher number of randomized controlled trials than former ones and, therefore, allow evidence-based statements.

[Acceptance of recommendations and guidelines for pain therapy with opioids].

The practical impact of guidelines for long-acting opioids is estimated to be low. This is not solely due to their quality or kind of implementation. Their core problem is to build a consensus across contradicting facts which resulted until recently in somewhat ambiguous recommendations.