Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for February 2017. This roundup includes the latest research news from journal articles, as well as the FDA approvals and regulatory changes that are the most likely to affect clinical practice.
Strategies Suggested to Protect Practices From Hackers
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Steps should be taken to protect medical practices, including small practices, from hackers, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
Diazepam Not Beneficial for Acute Low Back Pain in ER
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — There is doubt as to whether diazepam provides benefit in the treatment of low back pain in the emergency department environment, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.
Physician Burnout Eroding Sense of Calling
TUESDAY, Feb. 28, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For physicians across specialties, burnout is associated with reduced odds of a sense of calling, according to a study published online Feb. 8 in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings.
Supreme Court Rules Patient Safety Data Subject to Litigation
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The Supreme Court of Florida has reversed a District Court of Appeal decision deeming information related to patient safety unprotected from litigation discovery, according to a report published from the American Medical Association.
Many Patients Get Opioid Rx While Receiving Buprenorphine
MONDAY, Feb. 27, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A substantial proportion of patients with opioid use disorder fill prescriptions for non-buprenorphine opioids during and following treatment with buprenorphine, according to a study published online Feb. 23 in Addiction.
CDC: Fatal Drug Overdoses More Than Doubled Since 1999
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Drug overdose deaths have nearly tripled in the United States since 1999, with the largest increases seen for whites and middle-aged Americans, according to a February data brief published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics.
$20 Million Awarded for Quality Payment Program Training
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — About $20 million has been awarded to 11 organizations for the first of a five-year program to provide training and education about the Quality Payment Program for clinicians in individual or small group practices, with up to $80 million to be invested over the remaining four years, according to the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).
Similar Outcomes for Disc Surgery in Older, Younger Patients
FRIDAY, Feb. 24, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Older patients, over the age of 65, seem to experience the same lower back pain relief as their younger peers from surgery for a herniated lumbar disc, according to a research letter published online Feb. 22 in JAMA Surgery.
Ultrasound Does Not Appear to Speed Up Fracture Healing
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Low-intensity pulsed ultrasound (LIPUS) to help speed the healing of broken bones is an inefficient use of health care resources, according to a review and subsequent clinical practice guideline published online Feb. 21 The BMJ.
Abstract/Full Text – Review
Clinical Practice Guideline
Cyberattacks Remain Serious Threat to Health Providers
THURSDAY, Feb. 23, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Cyberattacks remain a serious threat to small providers as well as big institutions, according to a report published in Medical Economics.
Off-Label Antidepressant Use Common, but Evidence Lacking
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Up to one-third of antidepressants are prescribed for pain, insomnia, migraine, or other unapproved uses, but just 16 percent of those off-label prescriptions are supported by strong research, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in The BMJ.
Health Information Theft a Pressing Concern for U.S. Patients
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 22, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Forty-four percent of U.S. adults are worried about having their personal health care information stolen, according to findings from the Xerox eHealth Survey published Feb. 9 in HIT Consultant.
CMS Rule Set to Stabilize Small Health Insurance Markets
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — The U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has proposed a rule in relation to new reforms intended to stabilize individual and small group health insurance markets for 2018.
Internet-Delivered Exercise, Pain-Coping Skills Alleviate Knee Pain
TUESDAY, Feb. 21, 2017 (HealthDay News) — An internet-delivered physical therapist-prescribed home exercise and pain-coping skills training (PCST) intervention is beneficial for individuals with chronic knee pain, according to a study published online Feb. 21 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
OD Risk Up in Children Whose Mothers Are Prescribed Opioids
MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A child’s risk of a potentially fatal drug overdose more than doubles if a parent is prescribed an opioid, and appropriate storage guidelines are often not followed, according to research published online Feb. 20 in Pediatrics.
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Abstract/Full Text 2 (subscription or payment may be required)
Insurance Status Linked to Patient Safety in Lumbar Fusion
MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Insurance status is associated with adverse patient safety indicators (PSI) among patients undergoing inpatient lumbar fusion, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.
Baricitinib Associated With Significant Improvement in RA
MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with rheumatoid arthritis who have had an inadequate response to methotrexate, baricitinib is associated with significant clinical improvements, compared to either placebo or adalimumab, according to a study published in the Feb. 16 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Depression, Anxiety Prevalent in Hospice Caregivers
MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A considerable proportion of hospice caregivers are moderately to severely depressed or have moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety, according to a study published online recently in the Journal of Palliative Medicine.
Early PT Not Tied to Lower Health Care Use Later On
MONDAY, Feb. 20, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Early use of physical therapy (PT) for new low back pain in older adults is not associated with less subsequent back pain-specific health care utilization, compared with patients not receiving early PT, according to a study published in the March issue of The Spine Journal.
Health Care Spending Expected to Grow 5.6% Annually to 2025
THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Health care spending is expected to grow at an average annual rate of 5.6 percent from 2016 to 2025, according to a report published online Feb. 15 in Health Affairs.
Review: Cannabidiol May Be Beneficial for Oral Mucositis
THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Cannabidiol could be beneficial for the treatment of oral mucositis, although data on its use in dentistry are scarce, according to a review published online Feb. 12 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics.
Bacteria, Fungi Found in Some Medicinal Marijuana Samples
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 15, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Medical marijuana may carry infectious bacteria and fungi that can pose a life-threatening risk to cancer patients who use it to ease the side effects of chemotherapy, according to a study published online recently in Clinical Microbiology and Infection.
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ACP Issues Guideline for Treating Acute, Subacute, Chronic LBP
TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) — First-line therapy for patients with low back pain should be simple non-pharmacological remedies — from heat wraps to physical therapy, according to a new clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians (ACP) published online Feb. 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Review 1
Review 2
Clinical Practice Guideline
Ultrasound IDs Disease Activity in Rheumatoid Arthritis
TUESDAY, Feb. 14, 2017 (HealthDay News) — A 12-joint ultrasound (US) evaluation is relevant in determining disease activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
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Researchers Urge Radiotherapy for All Patients With Bone Mets
MONDAY, Feb. 13, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with bone metastases, those responding to radiotherapy experience greater pain reduction and better quality of life (QOL) at day 10 after radiotherapy, according to a study published online Feb. 9 in JAMA Oncology.
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Editorial (subscription or payment may be required)
Yoga Linked to Low Back Pain Relief, Improvement in Function
FRIDAY, Feb. 10, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients experiencing low back pain, yoga may be an effective pain reliever, according to a review published online Jan. 12 in The Cochrane Library.
Full Text
Twelve Percent of Women Fill Opioid Rx After Vaginal Delivery
FRIDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Twelve percent of women fill an outpatient opioid prescription within five days of vaginal delivery, according to a study published in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
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Intravenous Lidocaine Offers Alternative for ICU Patients’ Pain
THURSDAY, Feb. 9, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Intravenous lidocaine (IVLI) seems safe for reducing pain among patients in the intensive care unit (ICU) with varying degrees of organ dysfunction, according to research published online Feb. 7 in the Journal of Clinical Pharmacology.
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Electroacupuncture Can Relieve Pain During Alcohol Withdrawal
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Electroacupuncture (EA) can alleviate hyperalgesia during ethanol withdrawal, and this effect may involve mu opioid receptors (MORs) in the habenula, according to an experimental study published online Feb. 6 in Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.
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Active Synovitis With Osteitis Predicts Residual Synovitis in RA
WEDNESDAY, Feb. 8, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who have clinical response to treatment, active synovitis with osteitis is associated with subsequent residual synovitis (R-synovitis), according to a study published online Feb. 3 in the International Journal of Rheumatic Diseases.
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Many Obese Patients Not Getting Optimal Hospice Care
TUESDAY, Feb. 7, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Obese patients are less likely to spend their last days in hospice care and less likely to die at home, according to a study published online Feb. 7 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Treatment of Hips Beneficial in Patients With Low Back Pain
MONDAY, Feb. 6, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For individuals presenting with a primary complaint of mechanical low back pain (LBP), prescriptive treatment of the hips seems beneficial in addition to treatment of the lumbar spine, according to a study published online Jan. 27 in the Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
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Clinical Massage, Guided Imagery Reduce Pain, Anxiety
FRIDAY, Feb. 3, 2017 (HealthDay News) — For patients in a progressive care unit, clinical massage and guided imagery can reduce pain and anxiety, according to a study published online Feb. 1 in Critical Care Nurse.
NSAIDs Found to Be of Little Benefit to Patients With Back Pain
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) don’t help most patients with back pain, according to a review published online Feb. 2 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
Surgery Can Benefit T2DM Control for Patients With Lumbar Stenosis
THURSDAY, Feb. 2, 2017 (HealthDay News) — Successful lumbar surgery is associated with improved glycemic control for patients with lumbar spinal stenosis (LSS) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2), according to a study published in the February issue of The Spine Journal.
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