Promoting multidisciplinary pain management in low- and middle-income countries-challenges and achievements.

The burden of pain in low- and middle income countries (LMICs) is high and expected to rise further with their ageing populations. Multidisciplinary pain management approaches based on the biopsychosocial model of pain have been shown to be effective in reducing pain-related distress and disability, but these approaches are still lacking in many LMICs due to various factors, including low levels of awareness about the role of multidisciplinary pain clinics, lack of prioritisation for pain services, and lack of healthcare professionals trained in pain management. The International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) has several educational programs to promote multidisciplinary pain management in LMICs, in the form of education grants, pain fellowships, pain camps and, most recently, the development of a Multidisciplinary Pain Centre Toolkit.

How Low Back Pain is Managed-A Mixed-Methods Study in 32 Countries. Part 2 of Low Back Pain in Low- and Middle-Income Countries Series.

The Lancet Low Back Pain (LBP) Series highlighted the lack of LBP data from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The study aimed to describe (1) LBP care is currently delivered in LMICs and (2) that care is delivered. An online mixed-methods study.

Trends and patterns of analgesic prescribing in Malaysian public hospitals from 2010 to 2016: tramadol predominately used.

Purpose: To examine the trends of analgesic prescribing at public tertiary hospital outpatient settings and explore the patterns of their utilization in nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), tramadol, and opioid patients.

Patients And Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from 2010 to 2016 using the prescription databases of two tertiary hospitals in Malaysia. Prescriptions for nine NSAIDs (ketoprofen, diclofenac, celecoxib, etoricoxib, ibuprofen, indomethacin, meloxicam, mefenamic acid, and naproxen), tramadol, and five other opioids (morphine, fentanyl, oxycodone, dihydrocodeine, and buprenorphine) were included in this study.