Biomedical subjects

Tim A Ahles

Publications and source records attributed to Tim A Ahles.

23 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

PubMed1987

Is chronic pain a variant of depressive disease? The case of primary fibromyalgia syndrome.

The responses of 45 primary fibromyalgia syndrome (PFS) patients, 29 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and 31 healthy non-pain controls (NC) on the Zung Self-Rating Depression scale were compared. No difference between the PFS and RA groups was found, although the former has no known organic pathology, unlike the latter. Therefore, the hypothesis that the presentation of chronic pain in the absence of a known organic pathology is a variant of 'depressive disease' was not supported in the case of PFS. However, a subgroup of PFS (28.6%) and RA (31.0%) patients appeared to be experiencing significant depressive symptomatology.

Adolescent↗

PubMed1986

The use of contemporary MMPI norms in the study of chronic pain patients.

In a previous study, Ahles et al. [1] compared the MMPI results of primary fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis and non-pain control participants. The purpose of the present study was to reanalyze the original data using the contemporary norms of Colligan et al. [5]. The reanalysis revealed that the pattern of group differences remained the same; however, the number of primary fibromyalgia patients classified as 'psychologically disturbed' was appreciably reduced. These data have clinical relevance in that the incidence of psychopathology in chronic pain patients may be overestimated because of the use of outdated norms. Additionally the data have theoretical relevance in that a large number of patients who present with pain in the absence of a known organic pathology do not present evidence of psychopathology.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗

PubMed1983

The multidimensional nature of cancer-related pain.

A critical review of the literature examining the assessment of cancer-related pain revealed a lack of systematic research. In the present study, 40 patients with cancer-related pain were compared to 37 pain-free cancer patients matched on diagnosis, stage of disease, age, sex, and inpatient vs. outpatient status. The results supported a multidimensional conceptualization of cancer-related pain consisting of sensory, affective, cognitive, and behavioral components.

Anxiety↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Improving pain relief in a rural cancer center.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to describe barriers to cancer pain management and strategies for making improvements in an academic rural cancer center. OVERVIEW: Rural communities pose unique challenges to cancer pain management because of their unique strengths and burdens. Successful strategies used by a comprehensive cancer center to improve pain management in rural New England are summarized. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Improving cancer pain management in a rural setting required a recognition of the contrasting characteristics between a sophisticated academic medical center and a rural community. The successful implementation of quality improvement strategies required a combination of leadership support, internal and external funding, and professional and federal recognition of the problem. Using a quality improvement approach rather than a traditional didactic approach, and fostering communication, trust, and collegiality at our outreach sites were pivotal to our success.

Cancer Care Facilities↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A controlled trial of methods for managing pain in primary care patients with or without co-occurring psychosocial problems.

PURPOSE: Pain, a common reason for visits to primary care physicians, is often not well managed. The objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of pain management interventions suitable for primary care physicians. METHODS: Patients from 14 rural primary care practices (47 physicians) who reported diverse pain problems with (n = 644) or without (n = 693) psychosocial problems were randomized to usual-care or intervention groups. All patients in the intervention group received information tailored to their problems and concerns (INFO). These patients' physicians received feedback about their patients' problems and concerns (FEED). A nurse-educator (NE) telephoned patients with pain and psychosocial problems to teach problem-solving strategies and basic pain management skills. Outcomes were assessed with the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form and the Functional Interference Estimate at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. RESULTS: Patients with pain and psychosocial problems randomized to INFOFEED+NE significantly improved on the bodily pain (P = .011), role physical (P = .025), vitality (P <.001), role emotional (P = .048), and the Functional Interference Estimate (P = .027) scales compared with usual-care patients at 6 months. These improvements were maintained at the 12-month assessment even though these patients had received, on average, only 3 telephone calls. Compared with usual-care patients, at 6 months patients who received INFOFEED alone experienced minimal improvements that were not sustained at the 12-month assessment. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with pain and psychosocial problems, telephone-based assistance resulted in significant, sustained benefit in pain and psychosocial problems.

Adult↗