"It turned out right for both of us": A qualitative study about a preference for home death and actual place of death.

This qualitative study was conducted in Norway to explore couples' preference for home death when one of the partners was dying from cancer, and what made home death possible or not. We conducted dyad interviews with five couples. After the patients' death, the spouses participated in individual interviews.

How should respiratory depression and loss of airway patency be handled during initiation of palliative sedation?

Background: Loss of airway patency has been reported during initiation of palliative sedation. In present guidelines the loss of airway patency during initiation of palliative sedation is not addressed. Airway patency can be restored by jaw thrust/chin lift or placing the patient in the recovery position.

Prevalence of Triggers and Patient Harm Identified by Global Trigger Tool in Specialized Palliative Care.

Global trigger tool (GTT) was developed for identification of patient harm. In palliative patients deterioration can be expected, and there are no data on whether cases classified as "patient harm" actually represents a potential for improved patient safety. The primary aim was to test the performance and suitability of GTT in palliative care patients.

Prevalence of use of non-prescription analgesics in the Norwegian HUNT3 population: Impact of gender, age, exercise and prescription of opioids.

Background: There are concerns about potential increasing use of over-the-counter (OTC) analgesics. The aims of this study were to examine 1) the prevalence of self-reported use of OTC analgesics; 2) the prevalence of combining prescription analgesics drugs with OTC analgesics and 3) whether lifestyle factors such as physical activity were associated with prevalence of daily OTC analgesic use.

Methods: Questionnaire data from the Nord-Trøndelag health study (HUNT3, 2006-08), which includes data from 40,000 adult respondents.

Use of nasal fentanyl for cancer pain: A pharmacoepidemiological study.

Background: Breakthrough pain affects 40%-90% of patients with cancer pain. Nasal fentanyl is one of the recommended treatments, particularly if the breakthrough pain is of rapid onset.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence of use of nasal fentanyl, to study which strong opioids have been used prior to nasal fentanyl and to examine which opioids are used concomitantly with nasal fentanyl.

Chronic pain and use of opioids: a population-based pharmacoepidemiological study from the Norwegian prescription database and the Nord-Trøndelag health study.

In previous studies on prescription patterns of opioids, accurate data on pain are missing, and previous epidemiological studies of pain lack accurate data on opioid use. The present linkage study, which investigates the relationship between pain and opioid use, is based on accurate individual data from the complete national Norwegian prescription database and the Nord-Trøndelag health study 3, which includes about 46,000 people. Baseline data were collected in 2006 to 2008, and the cohort was followed up for 3 years.

A pharmacoepidemiological cohort study of subjects starting strong opioids for nonmalignant pain: a study from the Norwegian Prescription Database.

Clinical studies of short duration have demonstrated that strong opioids improve pain control in selected patients with chronic nonmalignant pain. However, high discontinuation rates and dose escalation during long-term treatment have been indicated. The aim of the present study was to determine discontinuation rates, dose escalation, and patterns of co-medication with benzodiazepines.

Reimbursement of analgesics for chronic pain.

Background: The prevalence of chronic non-malignant pain in Norway is between 24% and 30%. The proportion of the population using opioids for non-malignant pain on a long-term basis is around 1%. The purpose of our study was to investigate how many were prescribed analgesics on reimbursable prescription under reimbursement code -71 (chronic non-malignant pain) in 2009 and 2010, which analgesics were prescribed and whether prescribing practices were in accordance with national guidelines.

Attitudes, beliefs and self-reported competence about postoperative pain among physicians and nurses working on surgical wards.

Aims: To investigate attitudes, beliefs and self-reported competence with regard to pain management in nurses and physicians on surgical wards. Interprofessional differences between physicians and nurses were also examined.

Methods: A total of 795 physicians and nurses from different surgical departments in Norway were invited to complete a questionnaire measuring attitudes, beliefs and self-reported competence about postoperative pain.

[Post-operative pain management in hospitals].

Background: Relief of post-operative pain has a bearing on the patient's well-being, mobilisation and time confined to bed. The article discusses indications, contraindications and the efficacy of the various treatment modalities.

Material And Method: We have examined review articles, meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials, identified through literature searches in PubMed.

[Postoperative pain in patients admitted to Norwegian hospitals].

Background: Postoperative pain management is important for patients' well-being and mobility. It also reduces the length of hospital stays and prevents complications. Based on our own clinical experience, data on pain in cancer patients from Norway and on postoperative pain from other countries, we expected that a substantial proportion of patients staying in Norwegian hospitals would report postoperative pain of high intensity.

Opioid switching to methadone: a pharmacoepidemiological study from a national prescription database.

Background: Opioid switching to methadone is reported frequently to improve pain control in patients with an unacceptable balance between pain control and side effects during treatment with first line opioids, but carries a risk of drug accumulation and respiratory depression. To justify this risk it is required that less risky treatments are tried beforehand and that a sufficiently large proportion of patients experience a long-lasting improvement in pain control.

Research Questions: How large was the proportion of patients remaining on long term methadone treatment after a switch from a strong opioid to methadone? How long had the patients been treated with opioids before the switch to methadone?

Methods: Longitudinal pharmacoepidemiological study from the complete national Norwegian Prescription Database.

Prescription of analgesics to patients in opioid maintenance therapy: a pharmacoepidemiological study.

Aims: The primary aim of the present study is to determine the one year periodic prevalence of dispension of different analgesics to patients in long term opioid maintenance therapy (OMT). The secondary aim is to determine to which extent non-opioid analgesics are used as first line analgesics.

Design: The study is a pharmacoepidemiological study with cross sectional data and cohort data.

[Morphine or oxycodone tablets for pain?].

The opioids morphine and oxycodone are potent analgesics that are available as extended-release and immediate-release tablets. Indications are the same for both; i.e.