[Professional development and job satisfaction in pain medicine].

Background: Pain medicine is an interdisciplinary and interprofessional field of specialisation. Due to concerns about new recruits and an aging workforce, especially among physicians, it is important to better understand professional and career pathways in pain medicine.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to record the occupational routes of people working in an institution specialised in pain medicine/pain management as well as their motivation and job satisfaction.

Incidence and treatment of complex regional pain syndrome after surgery: analysis of claims data from Germany.

Introduction: Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a rare complication after limb injuries. Early recognition of the symptomatology and interdisciplinary interventions are essential to prevent long-term disability and pain.

Objective: This article presents results on the incidence of CRPS after surgery in Germany and treatments used by patients with CRPS, using claims data from the BARMER, a German nationwide health care insurance.

The Incidence and Risk Factors of Persistent Opioid Use After Surgery—a Retrospective Secondary Data Analysis.

Background: The risk of persistent postoperative opioid use (PPOU) and its association with the type of surgery are still unclear in Germany.

Methods: We conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study on the basis of claims data from BARMER, a statutory health insurance carrier in Germany. Opioid-naive adults who did not have cancer and who underwent inpatient surgery in 2018 were included in the study.

Understanding Kinesiophobia: Predictors and Influence on Early Functional Outcomes in Patients with Total Knee Arthroplasty.

This observational study aimed to identify predictors of kinesiophobia and examine its correlation with early functional outcomes in TKA recipients. On the first and fifth postoperative days (POD1 and POD5), we evaluated pain using the International Pain Outcomes Questionnaire (IPO-Q) and created multidimensional pain composite scores (PCSs). The Total Pain Composite Score (PCStotal) assesses the overall impact of pain, taking into account outcomes of pain intensity, pain-related interference with function, and emotions and side effects.

Perceptions of Quality of Interprofessional Collaboration, Staff Well-Being and Nonbeneficial Treatment: A Comparison between Nurses and Physicians in Intensive and Palliative Care.

This study assessed differences in interprofessional collaboration, perception of nonbeneficial care, and staff well-being between critical care and palliative care teams. In six German hospitals, a staff survey was conducted between December 2013 and March 2015 among nurses and physicians in intensive and palliative care units. To allow comparability between unit types, a matching was performed for demographic characteristics of staff.

Operation-specific risk of postoperative nausea: a cross-sectional study comparing 72 procedures.

Objectives: Determination of the procedure-specific, risk-adjusted probability of nausea.

Design: Cross-sectional analysis of clinical and patient-reported outcome data. We used a logistic regression model with type of operation, age, sex, preoperative opioids, antiemetic prophylaxis, regional anaesthesia, and perioperative opioids as predictors of postoperative nausea.

Trajectories of pain and opioid use up to one year after surgery: analysis of a European registry.

Background: Long-term opioid use after surgery is a crucial healthcare problem in North America. Data from European hospitals are scarce and differentiation of chronic pain has rarely been considered.

Methods: In a mixed surgical cohort of the PAIN OUT registry, opioid use and chronic pain were evaluated before surgery, and 6 and 12 months after surgery (M6/M12).

Developing consensus on core outcome sets of domains for acute, the transition from acute to chronic, recurrent/episodic, and chronic pain: results of the INTEGRATE-pain Delphi process.

Background: Pain is the leading cause of disability worldwide among adults and effective treatment options remain elusive. Data harmonization efforts, such as through core outcome sets (COS), could improve care by highlighting cross-cutting pain mechanisms and treatments. Existing pain-related COS often focus on specific conditions, which can hamper data harmonization across various pain states.

Responsiveness of multiple patient-reported outcome measures for acute postsurgical pain: primary results from the international multi-centre PROMPT NIT-1 study.

Background: Postsurgical outcome measures are crucial to define the efficacy of perioperative pain management; however, it is unclear which are most appropriate. We conducted a prospective study aiming to assess sensitivity-to-change of patient-reported outcome measures assessing the core outcome set of domains pain intensity (at rest/during activity), physical function, adverse events, and self-efficacy.

Methods: Patient-reported outcome measures were assessed preoperatively, on day 1 (d1), d3, and d7 after four surgical procedures (total knee replacement, breast surgery, endometriosis-related surgery, and sternotomy).

Risk Factors for Severe Pain and Impairment of Daily Life Activities after Cesarean Section-A Prospective Multi-Center Study of 11,932 Patients.

Cesarean section (CS) is the most widely performed and one of the most painful surgeries. This study investigated postoperative pain after CS using patient-related outcomes (PROs) to identify risk factors for severe pain. The secondary outcome was to evaluate the influence of surgery indication (primary CS (PCS) vs.

Structural characteristics and contractual terms of specialist palliative homecare in Germany.

Background: Multi-professional specialist palliative homecare (SPHC) teams care for palliative patients with complex symptoms. In Germany, the SPHC directive regulates care provision, but model contracts for each federal state are heterogeneous regarding staff requirements, cooperation with other healthcare providers, and financial reimbursement. The structural characteristics of SPHC teams also vary.

Numeric rating scale for pain should be used in an ordinal but not interval manner. A retrospective analysis of 346,892 patient reports of the quality improvement in postoperative pain treatment registry.

To assess postoperative pain intensity in adults, the numeric rating scale (NRS) is used. This scale has shown acceptable psychometric features, although its scale properties need further examination. We aimed to evaluate scale properties of the NRS using an item response theory (IRT) approach.

Cost-effectiveness of the Perioperative Pain Management Bundle a registry-based study.

Introduction: The Perioperative Pain Management Bundle was introduced in 10 Serbian PAIN OUT network hospitals to improve the quality of postoperative pain management. The Bundle consists of 4 elements: informing patients about postoperative pain treatment options; administering a full daily dose of 1-2 non-opioid analgesics; administering regional blocks and/or surgical wound infiltration; and assessing pain after surgery. In this study, we aimed to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Bundle during the initial 24 h after surgery.

The Perioperative Pain Management Bundle is Feasible: Findings From the PAIN OUT Registry.

Objectives: The quality of postoperative pain management is often poor. A "bundle," a small set of evidence-based interventions, is associated with improved outcomes in different settings. We assessed whether staff caring for surgical patients could implement a "Perioperative Pain Management Bundle" and whether this would be associated with improved multidimensional pain-related patient-reported outcomes (PROs).

Association between preoperative serum C-reactive protein level and leukocyte count and postoperative pain after otolaryngological surgery.

Purpose: To determine whether the preoperative inflammatory serum C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count (LEUK) are associated with postoperative pain and complaints after otolaryngological surgery.

Methods: Retrospective evaluation of 680 patients (33% female, median age 50 years) receiving otolaryngological surgery between November 2008 and March 2017 in a tertiary university hospital. Postoperative pain on the first postoperative day was assessed using the validated questionnaire of the German-wide project Quality Improvement in Postoperative Pain Treatment (QUIPS) including a numeric rating scale for assessment of postoperative pain (NRS, 0-10).

[Updated S1 guideline on long/post-COVID: relevant aspects for pain medicine].

Background: The S1 guideline on long/post-COVID of the AWMF [German Association of the Medical Scientific Societies] registration number 020-027) was updated in August 2022.

Methods: Under the coordination of the German Society of Pneumology, the guideline was updated by 21 scientific associations, two professional associations and clinical centers each and one institute and statutory accident insurance each. Each scientific association was responsible for its own chapter.

[Utilization of palliative care at the end of life in Germany: temporal trend (2016-2019) and regional variability].

Background: In Germany, palliative care (PC) is provided on a homecare, inpatient, general, and specialized basis. Since little is currently known about the temporal course and regional differences in the forms of care, the present study was aimed to investigate this.

Method: In a retrospective routine data study with 417,405 BARMER-insured persons who died between 2016 and 2019, we determined the utilization rates of primary PC (PPC), specially qualified and coordinated palliative homecare (PPC+), specialized palliative homecare (SPHC), inpatient PC, and hospice care on the basis of services billed at least once in the last year of life.

Following Evidence-Based Recommendations for Perioperative Pain Management after Cesarean Section Is Associated with Better Pain-Related Outcomes: Analysis of Registry Data.

Women who have had a Cesarean Section (CS) frequently report severe pain and pain-related interference. One reason for insufficient pain treatment might be inconsistent implementation of evidence-based guidelines. We assessed the association between implementing three elements of care recommended by guidelines for postoperative pain management and pain-related patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in women after CS.