Pain driving many back into hospital, CMS study shows
About 23% of skilled nursing patients return to the hospital within 30 days of discharge due to moderate or severe pain, a recent study from the Centers for Medicaid & Medicare Services shows.
Pain Management
A new kind of holy water
We found long ago that movement in warm water is the perfect solution for those suffering from pain. While in the water, patients can stretch and move pain-free in its soothing warmth.
Pharmacists object to further restrictions for hydrocodone combination products
Hydrocodone combination products such as Vicodin will now be in the same, more-restrictive category as OxyContin and fentanyl under the Controlled Substances Act, the Drug Enforcement Administration announced Thursday.
Also in the news for June 5, 2014 . . .
New LTC pain management quality measures submitted … CMS ‘provider relations coordinator’ created to take questions on Medicare reviews … Few docs discuss end-of-life care with heart failure patients … Poor sleep leads to Alzheimer’s?
Drug agency officially proposes to restrict access to hydrocodone medications
The federal government is on the verge of tightening access to Vicodin and similar types of painkillers by moving the drugs from Schedule III to Schedule II classification. Long-term care providers have protested this change, saying it will make it more difficult to manage residents’ pain.
What’s your load? How nurses can lighten med usage
The US Food and Drug Administration recently requested that practitioners stop prescribing combination prescription pain medications that have more than 325 mg of acetaminophen per tablet, capsule, etc., due to the risk of liver damage. This is a good thing.
Pain problems still prominent, pervasive for seniors
Pain management is a significant problem for adults aged 65 or older in the United States, new study results indicate.
Pain management difficult for stoic residents, those with dementia, study finds
Effective pain management in long-term care is hampered by residents’ attitudes and caregivers’ misinterpretation of behaviors, according to newly published research in the journal Nursing Older People.
Nursing homes can enhance pain management with cognitive behavioral therapy, new guidelines say
Nursing home residents in chronic pain may benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), according to new guidelines on managing pain in older people.
Researchers discover women feel higher levels of pain
Women with chronic ailments experience more intense pain than men, according to a new study. Results and further research could eventually lead to more accurate pain-medication prescribing for both men and women, experts say.
