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Biomedical subjects

B Sofaer

Publications and source records attributed to B Sofaer.

10 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Chronic pain as perceived by older people: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: the practical issues confronting older people who suffer chronic pain may not be tackled in a pain clinic setting and little is known of their strategies for coping. They seem to have little or no information on how to improve the quality of their lives or on resources available to them. AIM: the aim of this study was to ascertain from older people the practical, physical and psychosocial limitations they faced because of chronic pain, and the strategies they used to deal with them. METHOD: a qualitative approach to generating data was chosen using a Grounded Theory approach and unstructured interviews. Sixty-three people ranging from 60 to 87 years of age participated in the study. Audio-tapes were transcribed verbatim. The material was coded and collapsed into themes. RESULTS: two main themes emerged: (i) the desire for independence and control; and (ii) adaptation to a life with chronic pain. The valuing of independence is in line with previous findings. With only three exceptions none of the participants were certain how or where to get help with practical issues and so they lived in fear of loss of their independence. Several sub-categories formed the theme of adaptation. These were acceptance and non-acceptance, pacing oneself, helping other people, the use of prayer and 'looking good and feeling good'. When independence and control is effective, older people may adapt better to chronic pain. CONCLUSION: understanding chronic pain sufferers from their own perspective may have important clinical implications. The interview data informed the development of a booklet designed to meet the needs of older patients with chronic pain.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1998

Predictors of psychological distress in chronic pain patients.

The purpose of this study was to identify sources of psychological distress in patients attending pain clinics. Patients attending two pain clinics in the UK completed a self-report assessment questionnaire which included a 12-item, 5-point semantic differential measure of psychological well-being/distress, together with a range of single-item measures of pain and psychosocial factors measured using 5-point verbal report scales. Multiple regression analysis identified that 60% of the variance associated with psychological distress was explained by a combination of fears about the future, regrets about the past, age (younger people were more distressed), practical help (more help was associated with more distress), feeling unoccupied and personal relationship problems. These results support previous findings which have suggested that a significant proportion of the emotional disturbance in chronic pain patients is associated with psychosocial factors which are either secondary to, or concurrent with, the pain. The method described provides a simple and quick method of assessment which may be used by nurses in clinical settings to identify sources of psychological distress in patients with chronic pain and opportunities for therapeutic intervention.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMed1995

Enhancing humanistic skills: an experiential approach to learning about ethical issues in health care.

An outstanding feature of the study of nursing ethics is that it raises questions concerning moral virtue, conscience, consistency and character. A considerable section of the literature is devoted to ideas of how best to teach ethics to health professionals. It has been shown that when faced with ethical dilemmas nurses tended to rely on intuition and instinct to resolve them, with little systematic analysis to help the process. Nurses who have been in practice for a number of years may experience particular difficulties in resolving ethical dilemmas, for although they may be able easily to identify ethical problems they may feel powerless to behave appropriately through lack of theoretical background and/or confidence in participating in informed debate. An educational programme was designed to meet the needs of mature registered nurses who were undertaking a post-qualification part-time honours degree in nursing studies. A variety of teaching methods were employed in teaching the nurses. These included discussion, student-led seminars, structured debate and role play. A session which dealt with sudden death and organ donation is described in some detail. Because the topic involved communication between professionals and patients and/or relatives and was linked with ethics, role play was used to explore the dynamics in these areas. The participants were invited to act out the situation as they felt it might occur. Role play highlighted the stress and shock attached to such an experience. Before working through the dynamics of a situation the nurses were conscious of being part of decision-making 'in the cold' and 'in isolation'. As a result of the experiential learning they felt more able to reflect analytically and to participate in discussions in an informed and articulate way.

Delivery of Health Care↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Mood assessment in chronic pain patients.

This pilot study was designed to identify the mood state of patients attending two pain clinics in the South of England and to identify the factors which are predictive of mood in patients with chronic pain. Patients were asked to complete a questionnaire which included a short bipolar mood profile, together with verbal rating scales to assess pain and contributory coping variables. The most commonly occurring negative moods were tension, worry and irritability. Lack of information was the best predictor of negative mood. Other variables which were found to be associated with negative mood included lack of sleep, occupation and emotional support, and financial problems.

Adaptation, Psychological↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Feelings about pain.

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Education, Nursing, Continuing↗