Patients Response to Interventional Care for Chronic Pain Study (PRICS): A Cross-Sectional Survey of Community-Based Pain Clinics in Ontario, Canada.

Background: Non-image guided injection treatments ("nerve blocks") are commonly provided in community pain clinics in Ontario for chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) but remain controversial.

Aim: We explored patients' perspectives of nerve blocks for CNCP.

Methods: We administered a 33-item cross-sectional survey to patients living with CNCP pain attending four community-based pain clinics in Ontario, Canada.

Current status of procedural skills training in physician assistant programs in the United States.

Purpose: To describe procedural skills training in physician assistant (PA) programs in the United States.

Methods: An online cross-sectional seven-item survey was administered to program directors of the then 154 accredited PA programs in the US in 2012. Outcome measures were: number of programs having formal skills lists, skills courses, and/or learning activities; sources used in developing list contents; and methods used in evaluating performance competency during the preclinical, clinical, and summative evaluation phases.

Inflammatory bowel disease.

Crohn disease and ulcerative colitis are the most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) likely to be encountered in primary care. Patient-centered care is essential for positive outcomes, and should include long-term continuity with an empathetic primary care provider who can provide skillful coordination of the requisite multidisciplinary approach. Early suspicion of the diagnosis and referral to expert gastroenterologists for confirmation and medical management is essential.

Bier block exsanguination: a volumetric comparison and venous pressure study.

Objectives: Intravenous regional anesthesia (IVRA) is a useful ED anesthetic technique. However, venous pressure elevation during injection can cause anesthetic leakage and toxicity. This is minimized by preinjection limb exsanguination.

An unusual transcapitate fracture of the wrist.

A patient sustained a crush-type hyperextension injury to his wrist, and presented to the emergency department (ED) with wrist pain, swelling, and paresthesias along the median and superficial radial nerve distributions. His initial radiographic study was interpreted as showing a radial styloid fracture. The next day, he returned for a scheduled revisit with continued wrist pain and swelling.