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Showing results for tags 'Pain'.
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Content ArticleChronic (persistent or long-lasting or recurrent) pain is life-changing and can significantly impact individuals, their families and carers. This paper sets out the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance's (ARMA's) position on how pain affects people with musculoskeletal conditions, and how their pain should be managed.
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Content ArticlePainful menstruation—dysmenorrhea—interferes with the daily life of around one in five women. This blog looks at why painful periods receive so little research attention and examines the impact this has on women's lives and health. Sharing a personal story of her own painful periods, the author discusses how doctors are quick to prescribe birth control pills and antidepressants to treat painful periods, rather than investigating the problem to find out whether the cause of pain is endometriosis, a condition where endometrial tissue forms outside the uterus. It is thought that around 10% of ovulating women in the US have endometriosis and it takes an average of ten years for accurate diagnosis. The author discusses the need to raise the visibility of dysmenorrhea and endometriosis so that medical research takes it on as a serious issue.
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In this blog Patient Safety Learning considers several key patient safety issues highlighted in a recent investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) into unintentional overdose of morphine sulfate oral solution. We argue that in some areas, further action is required to prevent incidents of avoidable harm recurring. -
Content ArticleThis Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) investigation aims to improve patient safety in relation to the use of oral morphine sulfate solution (a strong pain-relieving medication taken by mouth). As its ‘reference case’, the investigation used the case of Len, an 89 year-old man who took an accidental overdose of morphine sulfate oral liquid. Patient Safety Learning has published a blog reflecting on the key patient safety issues highlighted in this report.
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News Article
Endometriosis: 'Women's health at bottom of Welsh NHS wait lists'
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A woman who has been waiting three years for a hysterectomy says she feels she and other women have been pushed to the bottom of the list. Jessica Ricketts, from Barry, is one of 164,000 patients who have been on various NHS waiting lists for more than a year, compared to less than 7,000 two-years-ago. But it will take another three years to tackle the backlog. Welsh government's plan to tackle long waits is due to be published later. But for Jessica, she remains in pain with endometriosis despite six gynaecological surgeries over the past 10 years and is now waiting for the hysterectomy. "Every day there's some sort of pain and I'm in pain right now," she told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast. "My fear is that the endometriosis - because obviously I'm just waiting - is now in my diaphragm, and so I get pain on my left side. "With every day almost, which used to just be cyclical and now it's gone a lot worse." Jessica is keen to see what the Welsh government's plan to cut waiting times is, but she believes women's health "seems to be at the very bottom of the pile". She added: "I think it's even more important now than ever, to really push the women's health side of things. We have it takes on average 10 years for a diagnosis of endometriosis. "As women we have to fight to even get past the GP who is severely under-trained in this department. "And it's just seems to be that because we're women. We're told that you know, just suck it up really and carry on and it needs to be a fairer system, particularly for the women of Wales and we need to stop pushing it to the bottom of the pile." Read full story Source: BBC News, 26 April 2022 -
Content ArticleIn 2016, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published prescribing guidelines for opioids. Though intended to encourage best practices in opioid prescribing, these guidelines fueled providers’ fears of opioids and led to many clinicians abandoning patients who relied on opioids for pain relief. In this article, Antje M. Barreveld reflects on the harms he may have caused by underprescribing these drugs, not overprescribing them.
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Content ArticleKeren Levy was fit and healthy when she first felt pain in a molar. After numerous dentists and doctors left it untreated, there were knock-on effects throughout her body. Today she is in constant pain and look almost unrecognisable She went to the dentist a number of times but X-rays showed nothing untoward. However, Karen started to develop a horribly rotting taste and knew the tooth was necrotic. She begged her dentist to give her root canal treatment or extract it, but without a visible sign this was needed she was refused. Instead she was referred to her GP, implying her distress was bereavement due to her mother recently dying. Many months later, Keren was referred to a different dentist who gave her a 3D scan that showed the original tooth to be necrotic, as she had said five months before. Evidence of the infection was clear in the surrounding bone. Her dentist records that the delay in treating the original dental infection appears to have triggered a systemic response in my body’s autonomic or endocrine system. Having had perfect health, eventually I had to have 12 root canals; all those teeth were necrotic. Confronted by the facts, the first dentist Keren saw said that, had he been in his Athens surgery, he would have carried out a root canal on the original tooth. But here, in the UK, he had been concerned he could be held to account by General Dental Council (GDC) regulations, given the X-ray image had not been “definitive”. An editorial in the British Dental Journal (BDJ) as long ago as 2014 described a climate of “fear and distrust” that had led to defensive dentistry because of the prospect of legal action or disciplinary procedures if anything goes wrong. Karen's case is a horrific example of excessive diagnostic testing delay, instead of treatment. Months of referrals to neurologists, maxillo-facial specialists, psychologists, GPs, oral medicine departments and other dentists went against common sense and ensured responsibility could never be laid at a particular dentist’s door. Invariably, the first question was: “What did the last dentist say?”
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News ArticleSeaman Danyelle Luckey “didn’t die in combat or any military operation. She died from gross negligence of the medical providers on the ship she served, the USS Ronald Reagan,” said her father, Derrick Luckey. Danyelle Luckey died from sepsis on 10 October 2016. The 23-year-old had been on the ship for two weeks, and had been going back and forth to medical from 3 to 9 October with worsening symptoms. “Her death was very preventable. She died in excruciating pain, instead of being properly treated,” Derrick Luckey told lawmakers during a hearing about patient safety and the quality of care in the military medical system. “If the medical providers had given her a simple treatment of antibiotics instead of turning her away, she would be alive today,” he said. Luckey and Army veteran Dez Del Barba, who said he lost part of his left leg and suffered 70% muscle and tissue damage after his strep infection went untreated, urged lawmakers to make changes so others in the military community don’t have to suffer.Both contend this could have been avoided if proper medical care, such as antibiotics, had been provided. And both said they haven’t been able to get any information on investigations, or any actions to hold anyone accountable.Read full story Source: Yahoo News, 31 March 2022
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News Article
Sajid Javid: Doctors too often ‘ignore’ women’s pain
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Doctors too often "ignore" women's pain, Sajid Javid said as he called for change in the wake of the Shrewsbury maternity scandal. Writing for The Telegraph, the Health Secretary said the wider NHS needed to do much more to listen to women, adding that too many are left in pain and ignored by clinicians. On Wednesday, the Ockenden report revealed that the deaths of 201 babies and nine mothers at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust could have been avoided, citing a failure to listen to women. Mr Javid wrote: "This week we have seen the tragic reality of what can happen when women's voices are not listened to when it comes to their care. "Donna Ockenden's report into maternity failings at Shrewsbury and Telford Hospitals raises specific concerns for maternity services, but more widely we must address issues across the whole of the health and care system when it comes to listening to women's concerns and recognising their pain." In the joint piece with Maria Caulfield, the minister for women’s health, Mr Javid welcomed a "shift in the way we talk about women's health", with more open discussions about areas once seen as taboo. But the pair said more needed to be done – specifically to improve the treatment of endometriosis, an extremely painful gynaecological condition. "We must ensure all women feel confident in going to their GP when they experience symptoms of endometriosis and, when they do, that they are listened to," they said. Too many were "spending too long in pain waiting for a diagnosis, often feeling ignored by clinicians", they warned. Later this year the Government will publish a women's health strategy, which will examine issues including fertility, menopause, and prevention and treatment of diseases. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The Telegraph, 31 March 2022 -
Content ArticleA woman who experiences pain during caesarean section under neuraxial anaesthesia is at risk of adverse psychological sequelae. Litigation arising from pain during caesarean section under neuraxial anaesthesia has replaced accidental awareness under general anaesthesia as the most common successful medicolegal claim against obstetric anaesthetists. Generic guidelines on caesarean section exist, but they do not provide specific recommendations for this area of anaesthetic practice. This guidance aims to offer pragmatic advice to support anaesthetists in caring for women during caesarean section. It emphasises the importance of non-technical skills, offers advice on best practice and aims to encourage standardisation. The guidance results from a collaborative effort by anaesthetists, psychologists and patients and has been developed to support clinicians and promote standardisation of practice in this area.
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In this blog Patient Safety Learning highlights the key issues included in its recent response to the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists new draft guidance for healthcare professionals who are involved in providing outpatient hysteroscopy. -
Content ArticleThe gender health gap is a long-standing, deeply entrenched problem that stretches back centuries - yet it is only finally starting to get the attention it deserves. In this discussion hosted by The Independent's Women's Correspondent Maya Oppenheim, Dr Jess Taylor, Le’Nise Brothers, Sandra Igwe and Dr Geeta Nargund explore the steps that must be taken to solve the gender health gap, including proper education of health professionals and engaging in open honest conversations.
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Misogyny is a safety issue: a blog by Saira Sundar
SairaS posted an article in Women's health
In this opinion piece, hub topic lead Saira Sundar looks at the culture of misogyny we have inherited in the medical profession, particularly in the obstetrics and gynaecology area of medicine. We hear time and time again women speaking up about being mistreated and/or disbelieved by medical professionals, resulting in delays in diagnosis and serious harm. However, there is a real change being forced by women themselves, with the public increasingly questioning and insisting on improvement and the right to be heard. -
Content ArticleThis investigation by the Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) explores the prescription of oral paracetamol in adult inpatients who, on admission to hospital, have low bodyweight (less than 50kg). Paracetamol is a common painkiller often used as first-line management for mild to moderate pain. Although it is safe if taken at the right dose, paracetamol in large amounts is toxic to the liver and therefore the maximum dose must never be exceeded. As its 'reference case', the investigation used the case of Dora, an 83-year-old woman who weighed less than 50kg on admission and lost further weight in hospital. While in hospital, Dora was prescribed oral paracetamol 1g four times a day and towards the end of her admission, she developed multiorgan failure due to sepsis and was diagnosed with paracetamol-induced liver toxicity.
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News Article
Woman screaming in pain waiting years for hip op
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
"Seeing how much pain she's in is killing me," the mother of a woman waiting four years for a hip operation has said. It is only by screaming that Marie Morgan, from Carmarthenshire, can express her level of suffering. The 30-year-old, who has multiple brain conditions, can speak only a few words and needs round-the-clock care. "Her hip is out and is rubbing against bone... there's no socket there," Marie's mother Sandra said. "She can't travel because every time I move her she's screaming in pain. Marie has cerebral palsy, severe epilepsy and fluid on the brain and the constant agony caused by the wait has meant these conditions, including her seizures, have become "horrendous". Sandra said: "She used to be so happy, we used to go to the pool, play music... Now she's gone downhill. I don't think she can last much longer to be honest with you." Marie, from Penygroes, is on a waiting list to have surgery in Morriston Hospital, Swansea. Her mother said staff have told her she is considered to be high priority, but despite her best efforts, she is still in the dark about when the operation will happen. "They said because of Covid they weren't operating, now they say it's staff shortages so it's something all the time. "I feel I'm knocking my head against a wall. It's not fair, she's only 30 and suffering the way she is." Swansea Bay Health Board said it hoped to tackle the backlog by increasing capacity at one of its hospitals. Read full story Source: BBC News, 17 February 2022 -
News Article
CDC proposes new guidelines in the US for treating pain, including opioid use
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
The federal government on Thursday proposed new guidelines for prescribing opioid painkillers that remove its previous recommended ceilings on doses for chronic pain patients and instead encourage doctors to use their best judgment. But the overall thrust of the recommendations was that doctors should first turn to “nonopioid therapies” for both chronic and acute pain, including prescription medications like gabapentin and over-the-counter ones like ibuprofen, as well as physical therapy, massage and acupuncture. Though still in draft form, the 12 recommendations, issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), are the first comprehensive revisions of the agency’s opioid prescribing guidelines since 2016. They walk a fine line between embracing the need for doctors to prescribe opioids to alleviate some cases of severe pain while guarding against exposing patients to the well-documented perils of opioids. “We are welcoming comments from patients who are living with pain every day and from their caregivers and providers,” said Christopher Jones, a co-author of the draft and acting director of the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, the arm of the CDC that released the new guidelines. Read full story (paywalled) Source: The New York Times, 10 February 2022 -
Content ArticleThis is an Adjournment Debate from the House of Commons on the 31 January 2022 on NHS Hysteroscopy Treatment, tabled by Lyn Brown MP.
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News Article
Scots mum considered ending her life due to mesh hell after suffering hernia
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
A mum says her life has been destroyed following a hernia repaired with a mesh implant – with pain so severe she considered ending her life. Roseanna Clarkin, 38, has suffered excruciating pain since medics used mesh products to repair the issue. Now she wants the use of mesh in hernia operations to be suspended, as it has for vaginal mesh following years of suffering by thousands of women. Revealing her own hell, Roseanna told how she was in so much pain last month she asked for guidance about how to legally end her own life. She added: "When I was going to the doctor's after my op, I wasn't believed. They told me it was all in my head and even told my husband Brendan 'Don't get roped into this'". Roseanna said: "I suspect the mesh has moved. But even the other week one of the GPs at my practice was suggesting it was in my head." Roseanna launched a petition calling for the suspension of mesh in hernia ops. It is going through the public petitions committee at Holyrood. To date, more than 70 patients or their families have written to the committee about their experiences with hernia mesh implants. Labour's health spokeswoman, Jackie Baillie, who campaigned for vaginal mesh ops to be suspended, called for an urgent review of the uses of mesh for other procedures. She said: "It has taken years for the serious problems caused for women who had transvaginal mesh used in their surgical treatment to be resolved but it appears to be affecting other conditions too." She warned: "We can't repeat the mistakes of the past." Read full story Source: Daily Record, 31 January 2022 -
Content ArticleOn Wednesday 26 January, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm (APPG FDNH) held a virtual public meeting on the topic of redress schemes for those who have suffered avoidable harm linked to pelvic mesh, sodium valproate and Primodos. This meeting was an opportunity to hear from representatives of various patient groups about what victims need and what they are missing from current support mechanisms. Below is a recording of the meeting.
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Content Article
On Wednesday 26 January, the All-Party Parliamentary Group for First Do No Harm (APPG FDNH) held a virtual public meeting on the topic of redress schemes for those who have suffered avoidable harm linked to pelvic mesh, sodium valproate and Primodos. This meeting was an opportunity to hear from representatives of various patient groups about what victims need and what they are missing from current support mechanisms. The meeting heard from Kath Sansom, founder of the Sling the Mesh campaign. Attached is the speech she presented and results from the Sling the Mesh survey. View the recording of the public meeting -
News Article
Women report waiting longer for operations and appointments in pandemic
Patient Safety Learning posted a news article in News
Women are being forced to wait longer for operations and healthcare appointments in the wake of the pandemic, according to a new report. Research carried out by the Care Quality Commission, England’s regulator of health and social care, found 53% of women experienced longer waiting times for appointments or healthcare procedures during the Covid crisis. The report also found 3 in 10 women experienced appointment cancellations. More women report grappling with these issues than men – with some 44% of men saying they have experienced longer waiting times for appointments or procedures. Helena Mckeown, a GP who previously specialised in women’s health at the British Medical Association (BMA), told The Independent she is not surprised by the findings. "Our world is full of sexism and we know of other examples of sexism and biases in healthcare. Some of them are racial biases. To stop unconscious biases, they need to be recognised and addressed. Ms Mckeown, one of the directors of the Menopause Expert Group, a non-profit which provides education about menopause, said female patients are treated differently to men. She added: “We need to make sure we are not taking women saying they are in pain differently to men saying they are in pain. It is really important that we address this problem of women waiting longer for operations and appointments.” Read full story Source: The Independent, 22 January 2022 -
Content ArticleThis report by Muscular Dystrophy UK looks at the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on people living with muscle-wasting conditions, according to the results of a survey conducted in Scotland. It is estimated that more than 6,000 people in Scotland live with a muscle-wasting condition and require access to a range of specialist appointments and clinicians to meet their complex care needs.
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In this personal account, hub member Sophie talks about the trauma she experienced after a painful contraceptive device (IUD) fitting, and the impact this has had on her subsequent experience of medical procedures. She argues that damaging narratives around female pain cause harm to patients in multiple ways and have consequences that reach far beyond the initial experience of pain.- Posted
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Content ArticleKath Sansom’s surgery changed her life forever – and motived her to lobby for its halt.
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Content ArticleThis study in Pain Research and Management reviewed available literature about gender bias in the treatment of pain and gendered norms towards patients with chronic pain. The authors found that gendered norms about men and women with pain are present in research from different scientific fields. They highlight that awareness of the issue can help counteract gender bias in healthcare and support healthcare professionals to provide more equitable care.
