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Wang ML, Jacobs O. From Awareness to Action: Pathways to Equity in Pain Management. Health Equity 2023; 7:416-418. [PMID: 37638117 PMCID: PMC10457639 DOI: 10.1089/heq.2023.0179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 07/24/2023] [Indexed: 08/29/2023] Open
Abstract
This commentary calls for a shift in the identification, analysis, and treatment of disparities in pain management. We provide context and research that summarize social and structural determinants that contribute to disparities across multiple levels of the pain management continuum. Informed by the evidence, we provide guideposts for mitigating disparities in the assessment, diagnosis, and care provided to those experiencing pain, with a focus on highlighting the specific needs of marginalized communities and the importance of culturally appropriate and context-specific approaches to pain management. This commentary informs efforts to promote equity by identifying areas of concern, guiding interventions, and advocating for policies that aim to eliminate disparities in pain treatment. Researchers, health care providers, and organizations can collectively work to provide equitable culturally sensitive pain management and improve overall patient outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monica L. Wang
- Department of Community Health Sciences, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Office of Narrative, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Olivia Jacobs
- Office of Narrative, Boston University Center for Antiracist Research, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- American and New England Studies Program, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
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Jordan A, Williams M, Jones A, Noel M, Neville A, Clinch J, Pincus T, Gauntlett-Gilbert J, Leake H. Pediatrician Explanations of Pediatric Pain in Clinical Settings: A Delicate Craft. J Pain 2023; 24:1396-1405. [PMID: 36893876 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2023.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Explaining chronic pain to children and families can be challenging, particularly in the absence of an obvious physiologically identifiable cause for the child's pain. In addition to medical intervention, children and families may expect clinicians to provide clarity around the cause of pain. Such explanations are often provided by clinicians who have not received formal pain training. This qualitative study sought to explore the following question: What do pediatricians consider to be important when providing pain explanations to children and their parents? Using semistructured interview methods, 16 UK pediatricians were interviewed regarding their perceptions of explaining chronic pain to children and families in clinical settings. Data were analyzed using inductive reflexive thematic analysis. Analyses generated 3 themes: 1) timing of the explanation, 2) casting a wider net, and 3) tailoring of the narrative. Study findings demonstrated the need for pediatricians to skilfully interpret where children and families are in their pain journey and deliver an appropriate and adaptable explanation relating to individual needs. Analyses identified the importance of providing a pain explanation that could be repeated and understood by others outside the consultation room, to enable children and families to accept the explanation. PERSPECTIVE: Study findings identify the importance of language in addition to familial and broader factors that may influence the provision and adoption of chronic pain explanations provided by pediatricians to children and families. Improving pain explanation provision may influence treatment engagement for children and their parents, subsequently impacting pain related outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abbie Jordan
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
| | | | - Abigail Jones
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Centre for Pain Research, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Melanie Noel
- Department of Psychology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada; Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Calgary, Canada
| | - Alexandra Neville
- Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative, and Pain Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California
| | - Jacqueline Clinch
- Bristol Medical School, University of Bristol, UK; Bristol Royal Children's Hospital, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK; Bath Centre for Pain Services, Royal United Hospitals Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Tamar Pincus
- Department of Psychology, Royal Holloway, University of London, UK
| | - Jeremy Gauntlett-Gilbert
- Bath Centre for Pain Services, Royal United Hospitals Bath, Bath, UK; Centre for Health and Clinical Research, University of the West of England Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Hayley Leake
- IIMPACT in Health, University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia
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Webster F, Connoy L, Longo R, Ahuja D, Amtmann D, Anderson A, Ashton-James CE, Boyd H, Chambers CT, Cook KF, Cowan P, Crombez G, Feinstein AB, Fuqua A, Gilam G, Jordan I, Mackey SC, Martins E, Martire LM, O'Sullivan P, Richards DP, Turner JA, Veasley C, Würtzen H, Yang SY, You DS, Ziadni M, Darnall BD. Patient Responses to the Term Pain Catastrophizing: Thematic Analysis of Cross-sectional International Data. J Pain 2023; 24:356-367. [PMID: 36241160 PMCID: PMC9898136 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpain.2022.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 09/03/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Pain catastrophizing is understood as a negative cognitive and emotional response to pain. Researchers, advocates and patients have reported stigmatizing effects of the term in clinical settings and the media. We conducted an international study to investigate patient perspectives on the term pain catastrophizing. Open-ended electronic patient and caregiver proxy surveys were promoted internationally by collaborator stakeholders and through social media. 3,521 surveys were received from 47 countries (77.3% from the U.S.). The sample was mainly female (82.1%), with a mean age of 41.62 (SD 12.03) years; 95% reported ongoing pain and pain duration > 10 years (68.4%). Forty-five percent (n = 1,295) had heard of the term pain catastrophizing; 12% (n = 349) reported being described as a 'pain catastrophizer' by a clinician with associated high levels of feeling blamed, judged, and dismissed. We present qualitative thematic data analytics for responses to open-ended questions, with 32% of responses highlighting the problematic nature of the term. We present the patients' perspective on the term pain catastrophizing, its material effect on clinical experiences, and associations with negative gender stereotypes. Use of patient-centered terminology may be important for favorably shaping the social context of patients' experience of pain and pain care. PERSPECTIVE: Our international patient survey found that 45% had heard of the term pain catastrophizing, about one-third spontaneously rated the term as problematic, and 12% reported the term was applied to them with most stating this was a negative experience. Clinician education on patient-centered terminology may improve care and reduce stigma.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fiona Webster
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Laura Connoy
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - Riana Longo
- Arthur Labatt Family School of Nursing, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Dagmar Amtmann
- University of Washington (UW), Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, UW Center on Outcomes Research in Rehabilitation (UWCORR), Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | - Claire E Ashton-James
- Sydney Medical School, Kolling Institute, The University of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Christine T Chambers
- Departments of Psychology and Neuroscience & Pediatrics, Dalhousie University; Centre for Pediatric Pain Research, IWK Health, Halifax, Nova Scotia
| | | | - Penney Cowan
- American Chronic Pain Association, World Patients Alliance
| | - Geert Crombez
- Psychology and Educational Sciences, Department of Experimental Clinical and Health Psychology, Ghent University, Gent, Belgium
| | - Amanda B Feinstein
- Stanford University School of Medicine/Stanford Children's Health, Menlo Park, California, USA
| | - Anne Fuqua
- University of Alabama Birmingham, Albama, USA
| | - Gadi Gilam
- The Institute of Biomedical and Oral Research, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | | | - Sean C Mackey
- Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Eduarda Martins
- Centro Hospitalar Póvoa de Varzim/Vila do Conde, EPE, Portugal
| | - Lynn M Martire
- Penn State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Peter O'Sullivan
- Curtin School of Allied Health, Curtin University, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Dawn P Richards
- Five02 Labs Inc and the Canadian Arthritis Patient Alliance, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - Judith A Turner
- University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | | | | | - Su-Yin Yang
- Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Department of Psychology, Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Singapore
| | - Dokyoung S You
- Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Maisa Ziadni
- Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA
| | - Beth D Darnall
- Division of Pain Medicine, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, USA.
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González-rodríguez A, Labad J, Seeman MV. Pain Sensitivity in Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders: A Narrative Review of Recent Work. Psychiatry International 2021; 2:48-58. [DOI: 10.3390/psychiatryint2010004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Many patients with schizophrenia seem relatively immune to physical pain while others complain of constant pain. This may result from disturbances or alterations of the sensory threshold for pain in populations with psychosis, a possibility for which there is some preliminary evidence. The inconsistency in pain perception may, in part, be explained by the treatments patients receive, but treatment-naïve patients also exhibit differences in response to pain. This suggests that decreased pain sensitivity may represent a specific psychosis endophenotype. Thus far, few experimental studies have investigated sensory thresholds, pain modalities, or other factors contributing to the perception or expression of physical pain in psychosis. A digital search for information on this topic was conducted in PubMed and Google Scholar. The result is a non-systematic, narrative review focusing on recent clinical and experimental findings of pain sensitivity in patients with psychosis. Importantly, physical and mental pain are closely connected constructs that may be difficult to differentiate. Our hope is that the review provides some clarity to the field in the specific context of schizophrenia.
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