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Showing results for tags 'Pain'.
Found 224 results
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Content ArticleAccording to patient safety campaigners, hundreds of women have been forced to endure “barbaric” pain while undergoing hysteroscopy tests after being denied pain relief options and anaesthetists were not available. HSJ recently reported that campaigners have identified at least 240 women who underwent the procedure without being told they were entitled to a general anaesthetic to manage the pain of the invasive test and we have seen similar stories on the hub community forum on the topic. Guidance for doctors says pain relief should always be discussed. Instead, these women were found to be underinformed about their own rights and expected to simply endure what can be an incredibly painful process of internal investigation. Just because some women report only minimal or no discomfort, that does not mean this is a painless procedure; for those who do suffer, the experience can be very traumatic. To say these women did not need and could not be provided with a choice of anaesthetic or other analgesic is a form of medical gaslighting, writes Hannah Fearn in this article for the Independent.
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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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Patients “taking back control” (BMJ, 13 May 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Patient-centred care
BMJ opinion piece from BMJ Chair Richard Smith. -
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Medical misogyny by Iona Winters (30 May 2022)
Patient Safety Learning posted an article in Women's health
Twelve years ago, Iona Winters had a TVT-O (transvaginal tape through the obturator region) implanted to assist her bladder, after decades of gynaecological surgeries. Last year she had the mesh removed by two specialist surgeons. In this blog, Iona describes the pain she has to endure, her experiences of medical misogyny and discusses the international mesh scandal. -
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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 guide by the Royal College of Physicians explains what a hip fracture is and answers questions about how patients will be cared for before and after a hip operation. It is written for patients and their families and carers. The guide covers aspects of hip fracture care such as: pain relief memory problems who should be involved in your care how soon an operation should take place eating and drinking bladder problems rehabilitation and physiotherapy following surgery when you will be able to go home future falls prevention bone strengthening medication
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Content ArticleAfter more than a decade and half of trying – unsuccessfully – to deal with her fibromyalgia through opioids, Louise finally decided that one way or another, she was going to have to manage her pain another way … In Louise’s words: “I got my life back – I’m living proof that there really is life after opioids!”
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Content ArticleEach year, up to 100 million people in the US experience acute or chronic pain, mainly because of short-term illnesses, injury and medical procedures. It is therefore important that patients are offered effective treatment options to reduce symptoms and improve function. Nonopioid management is the preferred option, but there are circumstances for which short-term opioid therapy is appropriate and beneficial. Finding the balance between these approaches is an ongoing problem in the management of acute noncancer pain. This cluster randomised clinical trial featured in JAMA Health Forum, aimed to assess whether clinician-targeted interventions prevent unsafe opioid prescribing in ambulatory patients with acute noncancer pain. The authors found that the use of comparison emails decreased the proportion of patients with acute pain who had never taken opioids receiving an opioid prescription. The emails also reduced the number of patients who progressed to treatment with long-term opioid therapy or were exposed to concurrent opioid and benzodiazepine therapy. They concluded that healthcare systems could add clinician-targeted nudges to other initiatives as an efficient, scalable approach to further decrease potentially unsafe opioid prescribing.
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This year, the World Health Organisation’s annual World Patient Safety Day on 17 September 2022 will focus on medication safety, promoting safe medication practices to prevent medication errors and reducing medication-related harm. Patient Safety Learning has pulled together some useful resources from the hub about different aspects of medication safety. Here we list seven tools and articles related to patient engagement and medication safety, including an interview with a patient advocate campaigning for transparency in medicines regulation, a blog outlining family concerns around prescribing and consent, and a number of projects that aim to enhance patient involvement in using medications safely. -
Content ArticleIn the 2017 Health Survey for England, 34% of adults reported experiencing chronic pain. The survey found that 5.5 million people (12%) are affected by high-impact pain that prevents them from enjoying social, family and recreational activities, and from working, including carrying out household tasks. This document sets out what the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA) believes should be available in every area for people living with long term pain. It covers four areas: Underpinning framework Treatment for underlying conditions Services for people living with chronic pain Prevention and inequalities
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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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Content ArticleIn this blog, Luke Yamaguchi describes his experience of hernia mesh surgery and the impact the procedure had on his health. He tells his story of having laparoscopic hernia repair using polypropylene (PP) mesh, which left him with severe chronic pain. After nine years, he underwent mesh removal surgery. Alongside his story, he describes the risks associated with surgical mesh and the use of PP as a material, highlights the lack of research about its side-effects and draws attention to the role of industry in promoting the use of mesh.
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Content ArticleThis opinion piece in the New Scientist looks at the persistence of the gender pain gap and highlights research that demonstrates its persistence in healthcare systems. An increasing number of studies have shown how bias against women’s expressions of pain negatively affect diagnosis and treatment of their health conditions; misinterpretations of female pain as anxiety contribute to women being around 50% more likely to be misdiagnosed after a heart attack. It also looks at how women who are Black, Asian or from ethnic minority backgrounds experience more underestimation of their pain by healthcare professionals than white women. The author argues that gendered myths about pain have had a powerful impact on centuries of scientific and biomedical advances.
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Content ArticleIn this blog, Gurpreet Kaur, who had to use a wheelchair for five years due to the severity of her endometriosis, talks about her firsthand experience of gender bias in pain management. She recalls sexist and inappropriate comments made to her by male healthcare professionals, describing how they belittled her pain and treated her as a 'hysterical woman'. She also highlights that research clearly demonstrates that women of color are more disproportionately affected by dismissals of their pain.
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Content ArticleWorldwide, most Caesarean sections (CS) are performed under neuraxial anaesthesia. However, neuraxial anaesthesia can fail and intraoperative breakthrough pain can occur. The aim of this study from Roofthooft et al. was to evaluate the incidence of breakthrough pain in consecutive CS and to describe the potential risk factors for breakthrough pain. In a two centre, prospective audit all CS performed under neuraxial anesthesia were included and the occurrence of breakthrough pain as well as all possible risk factors of breakthrough pain were recorded as well as the alternative anesthetic strategy.
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Content ArticlePlease help the Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy uncover the circumstances, quantify the contributing factors, and evidence the consequences of painful and distressing hysteroscopies. The survey is anonymous. The results will be put in the public domain to be used to help improve hysteroscopy services for future patients.
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Content ArticleWhen Joe Fassler's wife was struck by mysterious, debilitating symptoms, their trip to the ER revealed the sexism inherent in emergency treatment.
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Content ArticleInflammatory rheumatic disease (IRD), such as rheumatoid arthritis, can cause poor outcomes in pregnancy, and the health of the mother and developing foetus must be balanced when making decisions about medication. This updated guideline from the British Society for Rheumatology contains evidence and best practice for prescribing rheumatology medications during pregnancy and breastfeeding. It includes a table that summarises information about drug compatibility in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
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Content ArticleIn this article for The Times, Deborah Ross describes her negative experience of NHS maternity care during and after labour, and how this has put her off having more children. During her 72-hour labour and subsequent hospital admission, she was denied pain relief, did not feel listened to and was not informed as to why her baby had been transferred to NICU.
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Content ArticleMr B was 71 years' old and was undergoing treatment for cancer of the oesophagus. During surgery, a nasogastric tube that had been inserted became dislodged and was put back into place by medical staff, despite guidelines against this. The family realised that something had gone wrong in the operation and Mr B became very seriously ill, dying five months later. When the family asked the hospital for an investigation, they revealed that a hole had been made in Mr B’s stomach when the nasogastric tube was replaced. There was no assurance given that steps would be taken to prevent similar errors in the future, and no apology from the hospital. The family sought legal advice and came to an out of court settlement with the hospital.
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Content ArticleRichard von Abendorff's elderly mother died an avoidable, painful death in hospital due to being inappropriately prescribed Nalaxone. In this article, Richard outlines the steps he has taken to try and ensure lessons are learned from his mother's experience. Eventually, in 2014 NHS England published a patient safety alert relating to inappropriate doses of naloxone in patients on long-term opioid treatment. A coroner’s palliative expert report identified issues contributing to Richard's mother's poor end of life care, noting that purely advisory palliative services in an acute hospital setting are ‘not fit for purpose’ to meet the needs of more complex dying patients. Richard expresses his frustration at an ongoing lack of interest and action related to substandard end of life care.
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AvMA case study: Rod's story
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Risk management and legal issues
This article tells the story of Rod, who underwent a dorsal column stimulator implant for chronic pain in 2007. However, following surgery Rod realised something was wrong, and X-rays confirmed that the surgeon had applied the electrodes to the wrong side of his body, resulting in the need for several follow-up surgeries. This left Rod's chronic pain untreated, as well as giving Rod scarring, additional pain and mental stress. He has been unable to gain any financial compensation or admission of liability from the NHS Trust that made the error. -
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AvMA case study: Heather's story
Patient-Safety-Learning posted an article in Risk management and legal issues
This video summarises the story of Heather, who has cauda equina syndrome and suffered permanent damage as a result of negligent hospital treatment. -
Content ArticleIn England, around 10 million adults and 12,000 children have a musculoskeletal (MSK) condition. Ethnic minority groups, people from lower income households and those living in areas of high deprivation are most affected. In this guest blog for the Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance (ARMA), Bola Owolabi, Director of the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme at NHS England, highlights the role that MSK health inequalities play in people's lives. She looks at the link between socio-economic disadvantage and poor health outcomes, and discusses the wider implications of disability due to MSK conditions. She describes work being done by the NHS, and highlights ARMA's work to narrow MSK health inequalities through listening to the experiences of underserved communities and working in partnership to improve care.
