Home Pain Management March 2020 Briefing – Pain Management

March 2020 Briefing – Pain Management

Here are what the editors at HealthDay consider to be the most important developments in Pain Management for March 2020. 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.

Doctors, Hospitals, Pharmacies Warned Not to Stockpile Meds

TUESDAY, March 31, 2020 (HealthDay News) — In a joint statement released by the American Medical Association, American Pharmacists Association, and American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the professional groups “strongly oppose” physicians, pharmacies, and hospitals prophylactically prescribing medications or purchasing excessive amounts or stockpiles of potential treatments for COVID-19.

Joint Statement

U.S. Army Opens Field Hospital in New York City

MONDAY, March 30, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The first U.S. Army field hospital for civilian patients opened in New York City Monday and could be the first of many across the nation as it struggles with the coronavirus pandemic.

CBS News Article
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PPE Negative for SARS-CoV-2 After Patient Contact

FRIDAY, March 27, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Samples collected from personal protective equipment (PPE) from health care workers (HCWs) caring for patients positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) were negative for SARS-CoV-2, according to research published online March 26 in Infection Control & Hospital Epidemiology.

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Workers at Risk for COVID-19 Exposure Can Access Online Training

THURSDAY, March 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The National Institutes of Health has launched a new website with educational resources for hospital employees, emergency first responders, and other workers at risk for exposure to COVID-19.

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Prophylactic Manual Acupuncture Reduces Migraine Days

THURSDAY, March 26, 2020 (HealthDay News) — For patients with episodic migraine without aura, undergoing 20 sessions of manual acupuncture is superior to sham acupuncture and usual care for prophylactic treatment, according to a study published online March 25 in The BMJ.

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National Health Spending Expected to Increase Through 2028

WEDNESDAY, March 25, 2020 (HealthDay News) — National health expenditures are projected to increase at an average annual rate of 5.4 percent for 2019 to 2028, representing almost 20 percent of U.S. gross domestic product by 2028, according to a study published online March 24 in Health Affairs.

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Serial Interval of COVID-19 Estimated at 3.96 Days

FRIDAY, March 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — The serial interval of coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19), defined as the time between a primary case and secondary case developing symptoms, is 3.96 days, according to a study published online March 19 in Emerging Infectious Diseases, a publication of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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2017 to 2018 Saw Drop in Overdose Death Rates Involving Opioids

FRIDAY, March 20, 2020 (HealthDay News) — From 2017 to 2018, there were decreases in overdose death rates involving all opioids, prescription opioids, and heroin, while rates involving synthetic opioids increased, according to research published in the March 20 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

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Sports Concussion Recovery May Be Slower Than Thought

THURSDAY, March 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Less than half of patients with sports-related mild traumatic brain injury (SR-mTBI) achieve clinical recovery within two weeks after injury, according to a study published in the March issue of the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.

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Opioid Withdrawal Symptoms May Up Health Risks in Drug Injectors

THURSDAY, March 19, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Among people who inject drugs (PWID), opioid withdrawal symptoms are associated with increased health risks, according to a study published online March 18 in Drug and Alcohol Dependence.

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Surgery Superior to Nonoperative Care for Persistent Sciatica

WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Microdiscectomy is superior to nonsurgical care with respect to pain intensity in patients with sciatica lasting more than four months and caused by lumbar disc herniation, according to a study published in the March 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Opioid Use Prior to Discharge After C-Section Tied to Later Use

WEDNESDAY, March 18, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Women who take less opioid pain medication in the 24-hour period before being discharged from the hospital after a cesarean delivery also use less opioid medication during the four weeks following discharge, according to a study published in the March/April issue of the Annals of Family Medicine.

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Author Conflicts of Interest May Influence Cannabidiol Conclusions

MONDAY, March 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Most articles published between 2014 and 2019 discussing the characteristics, use, and therapeutic effect of cannabidiol (CBD) are supportive, with supportive conclusions in more studies with CBD-related industry funding, according to a research letter published online March 17 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

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Phone App Helps Cut Pain, Aid Functioning With Osteoarthritis

MONDAY, March 16, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A physical therapy app that offers a self-managed exercise and education program helps to improve pain and physical function for patients with osteoarthritis, according to a study published online March 4 in PLOS ONE.

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2018 Health Care Spending Up Due to Higher Prices

MONDAY, March 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Average employer-sponsored insurance spending rose to $5,892 per person in 2018, according to the Health Care Cost Institute annual Health Care Cost and Utilization Report.

Health Care Cost and Utilization Report

Multipronged Postoperative Opioid Program Cuts Rx Length

MONDAY, March 9, 2020 (HealthDay News) — A systemwide, multipronged pain management and opioid reduction program can significantly reduce opioid discharge prescriptions written for more than five days, according to a study published online March 2 in the Journal of the American College of Surgeons.

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Gulf War Illness Still Poses High Symptom Burden

THURSDAY, March 5, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Gulf War illness (GWI) poses a high disease burden on veterans almost three decades after the conflict, according to a study published online Feb. 2 in Military Medicine.

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Repeat ED Visits for Opioid-Related Emergencies on the Rise

THURSDAY, March 5, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Emergency departments are increasingly seeing patients for repeat opioid-related care, according to a study recently published in the Annals of Emergency Medicine.

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Female Clinical Chairs Paid Significantly Less Than Men

THURSDAY, March 5, 2020 (HealthDay News) — There are significant sex differences in salaries of clinical department chairs in public medical schools in the United States, according to a research letter published online March 2 in JAMA Internal Medicine.

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Smartphone Use Linked to Increased Meds Required for Headache

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Use of smartphones seems to be associated with increased requirements for acute medication for headache and less relief with acute medication, according to a study published online March 4 in Neurology Clinical Practice.

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Racial/Ethnic Insurance Coverage Disparity Down Since ACA

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) — Since the implementation of coverage expansions associated with the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the disparities in insurance coverage related to race and ethnicity have decreased, according to a study published in the March issue of Health Affairs.

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Considerable Increase Seen in List, Net Prices of Branded Drugs

WEDNESDAY, March 4, 2020 (HealthDay News) — From 2007 to 2018, there were substantial increases in list and net prices of branded drugs in the United States, according to a study published in the March 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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1996 to 2016 Saw Increases in U.S. Spending on Health Care

TUESDAY, March 3, 2020 (HealthDay News) — From 1996 to 2016, there were considerable increases in U.S. spending on health care, according to a study published in the March 3 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

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