Availability Of Pain Medications Research Articles

Palliative Care in Saudi Arabia: An Updated Assessment Following the National Vision 2030 Reforms.

Background: Palliative care (PC) plays a crucial role in improving the quality of life for terminally ill patients and their families. In Saudi Arabia, the Reform of Healthcare Vision 2030 has recognized the importance of PC and aimed to enhance its availability and quality. Objectives: This study evaluates the current state of PC in Saudi Arabia post-Vision 2030 reforms. Design: A cross-sectional survey-based research was conducted at a ministry of health health care facility to assess the accessibility and quality of PC services. Setting/Subjects: The survey collected quantitative and qualitative data from PC managers in Saudi Arabia. Retrospective analysis of annual death records determined the demand for PC. Results: The results indicate notable progress in developing PC services in Saudi Arabia, including increased number of PC units, community home care services, outpatient services, and consultations. However, challenges persist in terms of geographical distribution, resource allocation, and availability of pain medications, particularly opioids. The study highlights the substantial need for PC for both cancer and noncancer patients, emphasizing the importance of expanding these services. Conclusions: To further improve PC, policymakers and stakeholders should prioritize resource allocation, health care workforce, and access to pain medications. These efforts will address the growing demand for PC and benefit terminally ill patients and their families in Saudi Arabia.

Engagement and availability in shaping nurses’ management of postoperative pain: a qualitative study

BackgroundStudies reporting inadequate nursing care for patients indicate that nurses are negatively affected in such situations, and research is needed to study nursing care in postoperative situations.ObjectiveTo describe situations of postoperative pain management in a surgical ward in Thailand.MethodsA qualitative approach using the Critical Incident Technique was chosen to investigate situations of postoperative pain management from the perspective of surgical nurses in Thailand. Data were collected through multiple semi-structured interviews with nine nurses over a five-week period.ResultsThe situations of surgical nurses described three elements that heavily influenced the quality of postoperative pain management: engagement in a trustful nurse-patient relationship, availability of pain medication and nursing care when needed, and imbalance between meeting the patient’s needs and completing routine nursing duties.ConclusionThe results help to expand our understanding of how Thai nurses manage pain in postoperative situations and indicate areas that could be improved in terms of how nurses respond to patients’ pain. Nurses challenge existing guidelines and facilitate development of new nursing guidelines and/or policies in pain management.

(241) Availability of pain medications by community demographics and region

Several regional and local studies revealed disparities in availability of certain medications based on the demographics of the neighborhood. However, these studies are now several years old and there has not been a systematic national assessment examining whether these disparities occur for different racial and ethnic minorities. We stratified the United States by health region and racial composition such that neighborhoods that had a majority falling into a single racial/ethnic minority group could be compared to neighborhoods that are majority non-Hispanic white.

“What is Killing Me Most”: Chronic Pain and the Need for Palliative Care in the Eastern Cape, South Africa

ABSTRACTPalliative care and the provision of pain relief medicine are essential components of health care, yet little research has been conducted on access to pain medicine in rural areas of sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to examine patient experiences and health care provider attitudes towards chronic pain and palliative care in Eastern Cape Province, South Africa. The study used a mixed-methods approach to evaluate experience of chronic pain in a district hospital and associated clinics. Questionnaires and in-depth interviews were conducted with 45 current and former patients receiving care and 26 health care providers. Forty-six percent (n = 19) of patients rated their pain in the last month as severe. Thirty-nine percent (n = 17) of individuals stated that they had never been provided with an explanation for the cause of their pain. Multiple regression analysis found that being female, not having received a social welfare grant, and not having received an explanation for the cause of pain were associated with higher ratings of pain (P < .10 for each variable). Factors inhibiting the provision of palliative care included insufficient access and availability of pain medication and providers’ association of palliative care with end-of-life care. Adequate pain relief is often deprioritized in a busy health care setting. Ensuring patients receive sufficient relief for their pain requires interventions at clinical and policy levels, including the provision of needed pain medication and training in palliative care for all providers.

Availability of Pain Medication for Patients in the Middle East: Status of the Problem and the Role of the Middle East Cancer Consortium (MECC): Implications for other Regions

For these patients, the only realistic treatment option is pain relief and palliative care, except for Israel and Turkey, in all other Middle Eastern countries there is still a lack of governmental policies recognizing palliative care. As a result in most Middle Eastern countries the consumption of opioids is either virtually negligent or very low (Table 1). By and large, Fentanyl is currently the opioid of choice whereby its consumption comprises 60-80% of all opioids consumed, whereas that of Morphine is negligible (Table 2). While comparing the most recent data with those of a decade ago, it can be noted that there is an increase in the consumption of opioid, but it is still far behind that of those of the USA (Figure 1). It is, therefore, clear that there are large disparities in the consumption levels of opioids in Middle Eastern countries, versus developed countries.

Acute pain and availability of analgesia in the prehospital emergency setting in Italy: A problem to be solved

Objectives: The treatment of acute pain in the prehospital emergency setting remains a significant problem. We evaluated the incidence, site, and possible cause of acute pain in the prehospital period and also the current state of prehospital pain management by evaluating analgesic availability in emergency vehicles in Italy. Methods: First aid volunteers documented the presence, intensity, and site of acute pain by questionnaire for over 3 months. Emergency service operations completed a questionnaire on analgesic availability in ambulances and helicopters. Results: Pain symptoms were present in two-thirds of the patients (n = 383) and ranked as moderate to unbearable in 41.75%. Results of the analgesic availability survey indicate that 10.6% of the ambulance services carry no pain killers (including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs]and/or paracetamol) and 11.5% are without an opioid. The emergency helicopter survey showed a significant difference in analgesic availability compared with ambulances, with 97.6% having at least one opioid agent available (weak or strong). A wide geographical variation in the availability of analgesic agents in ambulance and helicopter services was seen. Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of pain among patients receiving prehospital emergency treatment in Italy and treatment for acute pain during emergency treatment of trauma patients is inadequate. All emergency vehicles, without distinction, should carry opioids and other analgesic drugs (NSAIDs and paracetamol) and there should be no geographic differences in the availability of pain medications. © Journal compilation © 2009 World Institute of Pain.

Acute Pain and Availability of Analgesia in the Prehospital Emergency Setting in Italy: A Problem to be Solved

The treatment of acute pain in the prehospital emergency setting remains a significant problem. We evaluated the incidence, site, and possible cause of acute pain in the prehospital period and also the current state of prehospital pain management by evaluating analgesic availability in emergency vehicles in Italy. First aid volunteers documented the presence, intensity, and site of acute pain by questionnaire for over 3 months. Emergency service operations completed a questionnaire on analgesic availability in ambulances and helicopters. Pain symptoms were present in two-thirds of the patients (n = 383) and ranked as moderate to unbearable in 41.75%. Results of the analgesic availability survey indicate that 10.6% of the ambulance services carry no pain killers (including non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs [NSAIDs] and/or paracetamol) and 11.5% are without an opioid. The emergency helicopter survey showed a significant difference in analgesic availability compared with ambulances, with 97.6% having at least one opioid agent available (weak or strong). A wide geographical variation in the availability of analgesic agents in ambulance and helicopter services was seen. There is a high prevalence of pain among patients receiving prehospital emergency treatment in Italy and treatment for acute pain during emergency treatment of trauma patients is inadequate. All emergency vehicles, without distinction, should carry opioids and other analgesic drugs (NSAIDs and paracetamol) and there should be no geographic differences in the availability of pain medications.