Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for July 2019. 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.
Burnout Symptoms May Up Racial Bias Among Resident Physicians
WEDNESDAY, July 31, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Symptoms of burnout seem to be associated with greater explicit and implicit racial bias among resident physicians, according to a study published online July 26 in JAMA Network Open.
$70 Million Settlement Reached in Generic Drug Delay Case
TUESDAY, July 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Three drug companies will pay a total of nearly $70 million to California to settle charges of delaying the sale of generic drugs to keep brand-name drug prices high, the state’s attorney general said Monday.
New Opioid Rx Rules Coming for U.S. Employees’ Health Plans
TUESDAY, July 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Tighter rules on opioid painkiller prescriptions for U.S. government employees will be implemented in the fall, the Trump Administration says.
National Norms Developed for Assessing Medical School Empathy
TUESDAY, July 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — National norms have been developed for assessing empathy among men and women at different levels of medical school education, according to a study published in the August issue of the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association.
Work-Related Injuries Up Suicide and Drug-Related Death
TUESDAY, July 30, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Workplace injuries severe enough to warrant more than a week away from work may increase the risk for death among workers, according to a study published online July 12 in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.
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Opioid Prescribing, New Persistent Use Down After Childbirth
MONDAY, July 29, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Since 2008, there has been a decrease in opioid prescribing and new persistent use after vaginal or cesarean delivery, according to a study published online July 26 in JAMA Network Open.
Online Symptom Self-Management + Telehealth Aids Pain, Mood
FRIDAY, July 26, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Online symptom self-management plus clinician telecare can be effective for individuals with pain, depression, and anxiety, according to a study recently published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine.
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FDA Warns CBD Product Maker About False Claims
WEDNESDAY, July 24, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A warning letter has been issued to Massachusetts-based Curaleaf Inc. for illegally selling unapproved cannabidiol (CBD) products online with unproven claims that the products treat cancer, Alzheimer disease, opioid withdrawal, pain, and other health problems, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration says.
Senate Bill Would Reduce Drug Costs for Seniors
TUESDAY, July 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A bill to reduce prescription drug costs for millions of Medicare recipients and lower federal and state health costs has been introduced by two U.S. senators.
Filgotinib Bests Placebo in Tx of Refractory Rheumatoid Arthritis
TUESDAY, July 23, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Among patients with moderately to severely active rheumatoid arthritis (RA) resistant to previous therapy with biologic agents, a significantly higher clinical response rate was seen at 12 weeks for those receiving filgotinib versus placebo, according to a study published in the July 23/30 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Opioid Rx Education Insufficient for Plastic Surgery Trainees
MONDAY, July 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Only one-fourth of U.S. plastic surgery residents report receiving opioid-prescriber education, according to a study published in the July issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
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Light Therapy May Prevent Oral Mucositis for Some in Cancer Tx
MONDAY, July 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Photobiomodulation (PBM), such as laser and other light therapies, is recommended for prevention of oral mucositis (OM) in specific populations of cancer patients, according to a review published online July 8 in Supportive Care in Cancer.
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Sleep Disorders Up Health Care Visits, Costs for Low Back Pain
MONDAY, July 22, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The presence of a sleep disorder diagnosis has a significant effect on low back pain (LBP)-related health care visits and costs, independent of pain intensity and disability, according to a study published online July 5 in Spine.
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Supply of Opioids Predicts Long-Term Use in Injured Workers
FRIDAY, July 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The number of days supplied of an initial opioid prescription is the strongest risk factor for developing long-term opioid use among previously opioid-free injured workers, according to a study published online July 17 in JAMA Network Open.
Music Relieves Preop Anxiety Before Peripheral Nerve Block
FRIDAY, July 19, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Patients undergoing preoperative peripheral nerve block placement have a similar change in anxiolytic scores when they receive music medicine versus midazolam, according to a study published online July 18 in Regional Anesthesia & Pain Medicine.
Safety Practice Violations ID’d in Septic Arthritis Outbreak
THURSDAY, July 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Breaches of recommended infection prevention practices have been identified in an outbreak of septic arthritis cases after intra-articular injections performed in a private outpatient facility, according to a report published online July 17 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.
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Medical Marijuana Laws May Not Impact Opioid Use
THURSDAY, July 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Medical marijuana laws do not appear to impact nonmedical prescription opioid use or opioid use disorder, according to a study published online July 17 in JAMA Network Open.
About One in 20 Patients Exposed to Preventable Harm
THURSDAY, July 18, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The pooled prevalence of preventable patient harm is 6 percent across a range of medical settings globally, according to a review published online July 17 in The BMJ.
U.S. Drug OD Deaths Fall for First Time in Three Decades
WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For the first time in three decades, drug overdose deaths in the United States fell last year, preliminary federal government data suggest.
Intranasal Sufentanil Cuts Acute Trauma Pain Treated in the ED
WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Intranasal sufentanil (INS) is comparable to intravenous morphine (IVM) for acute severe trauma pain treated in the emergency department, according to a study published online July 16 in PLOS Medicine.
Opioids Commonly Prescribed in Emergency Department for Gout
MONDAY, July 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — More than one-fourth of patients with acute gout discharged from the emergency department receive an opioid prescription, according to a study published online July 2 in Arthritis Care & Research.
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Prepregnancy Surgery Linked to Risk for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
MONDAY, July 15, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Prepregnancy surgery is associated with elevated neonatal abstinence syndrome risk in future pregnancies, according to a study published in the July 15 issue of CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Productivity Loss Sizable With Menstruation-Related Symptoms
FRIDAY, July 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Menstruation-related symptoms (MRS) cause a great deal of productivity loss, mainly due to presenteeism, according to research published online June 27 in BMJ Open.
Prescribing Fewer Tablets Can Cut Post-ACL Surgery Opioid Use
FRIDAY, July 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients undergoing anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction, prescribing fewer tablets is associated with lower postoperative opioid consumption, according to a research letter published in the June 25 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Serious Misdiagnosis-Related Harms Mostly Due to ‘Big Three’
FRIDAY, July 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Vascular events, infections, and cancers account for about three-quarters of serious misdiagnosis-related harms, according to a study published online July 11 in Diagnosis.
Kratom Use Associated With Significant Toxicities
FRIDAY, July 12, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The unregulated herbal supplement known as kratom, which is mainly used for self-treating pain or mood disorders in the United States, is associated with significant toxicities, according to a report published in the July issue of Pharmacotherapy.
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Medicare Drug Rebate Plan Withdrawn by Trump Administration
THURSDAY, July 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A plan to let Medicare patients receive rebates that drug companies currently pay to insurers and middlemen has been withdrawn by the Trump administration.
Capping Work Hours in Residency Does Not Impact Outcomes Later
THURSDAY, July 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Exposure of U.S. physicians to work-hour reforms during residency training is not associated with post-training differences in patient mortality, readmissions, or costs of care, according to a study published online July 11 in The BMJ.
Oliceridine Studied for IV Pain Relief After Abdominoplasty
THURSDAY, July 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Oliceridine is being proposed as an analgesic option for the relief of moderate-to-severe acute postoperative pain, according to a study recently published in Pain Practice.
Rimegepant Shows Promise for Relief From Migraine Attacks
THURSDAY, July 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Compared with placebo, rimegepant, an orally administered, small-molecule, calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist, can increase the percentage of patients free of pain and free from their most bothersome symptom during a migraine attack, according to a study published in the July 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Health Care Professionals Exhibit Gender Bias
THURSDAY, July 11, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Survey results show that health care professionals have implicit and explicit gender bias, according to a study published online July 5 in JAMA Network Open.
Galcanezumab Can Cut Frequency of Cluster Headache Attacks
WEDNESDAY, July 10, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Galcanezumab can reduce the frequency of episodic cluster headache attacks, according to a study published in the July 11 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
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Rule Requiring Drug Prices in TV Ads Blocked by Judge
TUESDAY, July 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A Trump administration rule to force pharmaceutical companies to disclose the list prices of their drugs in television ads was blocked Monday by a federal judge.
EHR System-Generated In-Basket Messages Linked to Burnout
TUESDAY, July 9, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Receipt of more than the average number of electronic health record (EHR) system-generated in-basket messages is associated with an increased probability of physician burnout, according to a study published in the July 1 issue of Health Affairs.
Survey Reveals Gaps in Opioid Rx Patterns of Orthopedic Surgeons
MONDAY, July 8, 2019 (HealthDay News) — The vast majority of orthopedic surgeons recommend prescribing a nine-day supply of around-the-clock oxycodone doses following commonly performed orthopedic surgeries, according to a study published in the May/June issue of the Journal of Opioid Management.
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DOJ Asks Congress to Permanently Classify Fentanyl-Like Drugs
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — A temporary order classifying fentanyl-like drugs as controlled substances should be enacted into law, the U.S. Department of Justice is telling Congress.
Most Adult-Use Cannabis Customers Use for Pain, Sleep Relief
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — De facto medical use of cannabis for symptom relief is common among adult-use dispensary customers in Colorado, according to a study published online July 2 in the Journal of Psychoactive Drugs.
Tanezumab Improves Scores for Pain, Function in Osteoarthritis
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — For patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee or hip, tanezumab is associated with significant improvements in pain and physical function versus placebo, according to a study published in the July 2 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
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Lack of Evidence for Treating Chronic Pain in Children
WEDNESDAY, July 3, 2019 (HealthDay News) — There is a lack of evidence on the efficacy and safety of pharmacological treatments for chronic pain in children, according to research published online June 19 in PAIN.
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Considerable Number of Patients Receive Surprise Hospital Charges
TUESDAY, July 2, 2019 (HealthDay News) — Eighteen percent of all emergency department visits and 16 percent of in-network hospital stays have at least one out-of-network charge, according to a report published June 20 by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
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