A questionnaire on chronic pain management was completed by 114 third year, and 80 fifth (final) year medical students. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in most facets of chronic pain knowledge and management by the end of the medical course. A postal survey was undertaken of all pain clinics in Northern Ireland to identify current activity, as these figures are not collected ...

CONTEXT Although many previous studies have examined the preference of patients for different pain measurement scales, preference for anchor descriptors has not been thoroughly discussed. OBJECTIVES To examine (1) the preferred end-phrases used in the VAS as anchor labels for Japanese patients with chronic pain, and (2) whether the preference differs according to factors such as age, sex, edu...

There is a clear need to assess patients presenting with a new onset of inflammatory peripheral arthritis and/or back pain early. Indeed, the clinical presentation of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is not always characteristic but its early diagnosis is crucial to prevent irreversible structural damage. Likewise low back pain is common in the general population but may be related to ankylosing spond...

OBJECTIVE In 2010, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in the UK published Clinical Guideline 95 (CG95) advocating risk stratification of patients using 'CADScore' to guide appropriate cardiac investigations for chest pain of recent onset. Implementation of the guideline in the University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust was evaluated to see if it led to a ...

BACKGROUND Historically, chronic pain has been viewed primarily as a medical issue, and research has been focused on the individual and predominantly on pain sufferers in high-income countries. OBJECTIVES This article argues the need for a broader understanding of the context of chronic pain and its complex aetiologies and maintenance. It is suggested that the interaction between chronic pain...