[Pain prevention in the primary care setting : Facts for resident physicians].

Based on health insurance data, approximately 37.4 million patients (46%) in Germany are diagnosed with "pain". The prevalence of patients with debilitating chronic pain is around 7.

Is 'anxiety sensitivity' predictive of postoperative nausea and vomiting?: A prospective observational study.

Background: Postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) is an extremely distressing side effect for patients. Despite PONV prophylaxis guided by well established scoring systems, the incidence of PONV is still high.

Objective: The aim of the current study was to investigate the predictive value of anxiety sensitivity as an additional independent risk factor for PONV in patients with an increased risk of PONV.

Update on structured pain assessment for the documentation of diagnosis-independent symptoms and signs associated with pain.

Concerning the diagnosis and therapy of pain syndromes, standardized descriptions similar to those used in the examination of psychopathological findings via the system produced by the AMDP ("Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Methodik und Dokumentation in der Psychiatrie", i. e., the working group establishing standardized methodology and documentation within psychiatry) are still lacking.

Anxiety and its predictive value for pain and regular analgesic intake after lumbar disc surgery - a prospective observational longitudinal study.

Background: Ongoing pain after surgery is a major problem and influences recovery and the quality of life of the patient. Associations between anxiety and their impact on postoperative pain after herniated disc surgery have been reported, but the results are inconsistent. The aim of the present longitudinal study was to evaluate the predictive value of preoperative anxiety for postoperative ongoing pain and prolonged analgesic intake after herniated disc surgery.

[The AMDS system for the documentation of symptoms and signs associated with pain].

The authors present a system for nomenclature and documentation of symptoms and signs associated with pain. The system was compiled in a staged process by the study group for methods and documentation of pain-associated symptoms and signs (Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Methodik und Dokumentation von Schmerzbefunden [AMDS]). The suggested items were elaborated from terms used in current national and international guidelines and classifications and in part integrated into superordinate terms.

Prevalence of pain 6 months after surgery: a prospective observational study.

Background: Pain after surgery is a major issue for patient discomfort and often associated with delayed recovery. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of pain and requirement for analgesics up to 6 months after elective surgery, independent if new pain symptoms occurred after surgery or if preoperative pain persisted in the postoperative period.

Methods: A prospective observational single center cohort study was conducted between January 2012 and August 2013.

[Relevance of preoperative anxiety for postoperative outcome in urological surgery patients: A prospective observational study].

Background: Preoperative anxiety is not systematically assessed during premedication appointments, although it may influence the postoperative course and outcome.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess preoperative anxiety in a sample of patients before major urological surgery and to characterize the impact on postoperative pain. An additional aim was to analyze the agreement between patients' self-ratings and physicians' anxiety ratings.

[Expert testimony in post-traumatic stress disorder with pain as the main symptom].

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the most relevant disorders of patients with chronic pain, but is often underdiagnosed. This also applies to expert testimony. Further complicating the assessment are the different definitions of PTSD in ICD-10 and DSM-IV; the new DSM-5 has added a further definition.

[Epidural injection shows no advantages over oral medication and physiotherapy in the treatment of sciatica, irrespective of the duration of symptoms].

Background: The study presented here investigated the short-term effectiveness of one-off lumbar caudal epidural injection (EI) in sciatica in relationship to the reported duration of pain.

Materials And Methods: This retrospective analysis involved 106 consecutive in-patients who received either conservative treatment (Group I) or an additional EI on the first day of their treatment (Group II). Both groups were divided according to the duration of symptoms at the time of admission (less than three months, or more than six months).

Assessing preoperative anxiety using a questionnaire and clinical rating: a prospective observational study.

Background: Preoperative anxiety and need for information can be detected during preoperative consultation via structured and standardised screening by the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS) questionnaire.

Objective: To identify the prevalence of preoperative anxiety and need for information, with regard to influencing factors such as age, sex, previous operation and grade of surgery, and to examine the level of agreement between patients' self-rating and physicians' ratings.

Design: Prospective observational study.

A short screening instrument for mental health problems: the symptom checklist-27 (SCL-27) in Poland and Germany.

Objective: The symptom checklist SCL-27 is a short, multidimensional screening instrument for mental health problems. It contains six scales: depressive, dysthymic, vegetative, agoraphobic and sociophobic symptoms; symptoms of mistrust; and a global severity index (GSI-27).

Methods: A survey of two student samples from Poland and Germany (n ∼ 400) is presented.

[Emotional childhood parentification and mental disorders in adulthood].

Background: Emotional parentification is considered harmful to a child's development.

Method: A total of about 975 patients were examined at a Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and in the practices of general practitioners with regard to childhood adversities.

Results: Emotional parentification is a risk factor for 2 symptom groups: the patients with depression and the patients with somatoform pain.

[Save life--allow death. Collation of emergency missions for terminally ill patients].

Background: Emergency missions can also be necessary for patients in the terminal phase of a progressive incurable disease. The emergency physician, accustomed to acting under strict procedures and whose training focuses on the restoration and stabilization of acutely threatened vital functions, can face severe difficulties when treating incurably ill patients in the terminal phase. This study investigates the number of such cases, patient symptoms and the events occurring during life-threatening emergencies of terminally ill patients.

[Determinants of quality of life in patients with somatoform disorders with pain as main symptom - the case for differentiating subgroups].

Objectives: What impact do the degree of somatization and the presence of a comorbid psychological disorder have on health-related quality of life in patients with pain-dominated somatoform disorders?

Methods: 282 consecutive patients (57.6 %) from a total population of N=490 patients fulfilling the criteria of somatoform pain disorders were included in the study following a thorough interdisciplinary diagnostic process at a German university hospital. Structured interviews (SKIDI and SKID-II) to assess comorbid psychological disorders as well as a structured biographical interview to assess chronification factors were conducted.

[Somatoform disorders with pain as the predominant symptom: results to distinguish a common group of diseases].

According to a population-based prevalence study, medically unexplained pain syndromes are highly prevalent in the German general population. With a 1-year prevalence of 8% for somatoform pain disorders and a lifetime prevalence of 12.7%, they rank among the most prevalent conditions in the community.

[Symptom Checklist SCL-27].

The Symptom-Checklist-27 (SCL-27) forms a modification of the widely used Symptom-Checklist-90-R, with the latter demonstrating considerable shortcomings in psychometric properties. The SCL-27 is designed to screen for psychiatric symptoms in patients presenting somatic complaints. It contains the six subscales depressive, dysthymic, vegetative, agoraphobic, sociophobic symptoms and symptoms of mistrust.

Neuropsychological status of alcohol-dependent patients: increased performance through goal-setting instructions.

Aims: The effects of goal-setting instructions on neuropsychological performance of alcohol-dependent patients and control subjects were assessed.

Methods: 57 alcohol-dependent patients and 59 carefully age- and education-matched healthy control subjects underwent standard neuropsychological investigation. In addition, the goal-setting paradigm was used to systematically manipulate motivation.

Determinants of health-related quality of life in patients with persistent somatoform pain disorder.

Background: Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has been investigated widely in patients with chronic pain, but no study has focused particularly on the situation of patients with persistent somatoform pain disorder.

Aims: To survey the impairments of patients with somatoform pain disorder (ICD-10: F45.4) and to predict pain-related impairments and HRQOL on the basis of coping styles.

[Long-term effects of adverse childhood experiences - Actual evidence and needs for research1/2].

There is evidence from some prospective and several retrospective studies that early biological and psychosocial stress in childhood is associated with long-term vulnerability to various mental and physical diseases. In the last few years research findings have accumulated on those emotional, behavioural and psychobiological factors which are responsible for the mediation of these lifelong consequences. They are the cause of an increased risk of somatization and other mental disorders.