Tramadol: a valuable treatment for pain in Southeast Asian countries.

Background: The supply of controlled drugs is limited in the Far East, despite the prevalence of health disorders that warrant their prescription. Reasons for this include strict regulatory frameworks, limited financial resources, lack of appropriate training amongst the medical profession and fear of addiction in both general practitioners and the wider population. Consequently, the weak opioid tramadol has become the analgesic most frequently used in the region to treat moderate to severe pain.

Development and psychometric appraisal of the Pain Management Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.

Aim: The aim of this study was to develop and psychometrically evaluate the Pain Management Self-Efficacy Questionnaire.

Background: Pain management competence and confidence are important in rendering safe and effective patient care. However, there is a lack of psychometrically sound instruments measuring pain management self-efficacy.

Effectiveness of honey on radiation-induced oral mucositis, time to mucositis, weight loss, and treatment interruptions among patients with head and neck malignancies: A meta-analysis and systematic review of literature.

Background: Mucositis is a disabling effect of radiotherapy in head and neck cancers. There is no current standard on management of radiation-induced mucositis. Honey has been shown to reduce radiation-induced mucositis.

Validation of the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head-and-Neck-Filipino (MDASI-HN-F): clinical utility of symptom screening among patients with head-and-neck cancer.

Context: Symptom burden and quality of life (QOL) are of particular importance in head-and-neck cancer treatment. The MD Anderson Symptom Inventory-Head-and-Neck (MDASI-HN) is a simple symptom assessment tool practicable for patient follow-up, but a validated Filipino translation was previously unavailable.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to develop a valid Filipino translation of the MDASI-HN, to test the sensitivity of the validated MDASI core-F, and to report the prevalence and pattern of head-and-neck symptoms in our cohort.

Depressive symptoms among cancer patients in a Philippine tertiary hospital: prevalence, factors, and influence on health-related quality of life.

Background: The World Health Organization recognizes depression as one of the most burdensome diseases in the world. Among cancer patients, depression is significantly associated with shorter survival, independent of the influence of biomedical prognostic factors. Although cancer is the third leading cause of morbidity and mortality among Filipinos, little is known about depressive symptoms and their influence on health-related quality of life in this population.

Pain management in a patient with intractable spinal cord injury pain: a case report and literature review.

Chronic pain is one of the more disturbing sequelae of spinal cord injury, often interfering with the basic activities, effective rehabilitation, and quality of life of the patient. Pain in the cord-injured patient is often recalcitrant to treatment. This dilemma is amplified by the limited availability of effective pharmacological and nonpharmacological treatment options.