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The pain--suffering association, a review
David A Fishbain1,2,3,4, John E Lewis1, Jinrun Gao5
1Departments of Psychiatry, Miller School of Medicine at the University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
Pain Medicine (Malden, Mass.)
|January 15, 2015
Summary
Suffering is prevalent in advanced cancer (45.7%) and hastened death (81.9%) patients, with a consistent link to pain. More research is needed for chronic nonmalignant pain patients.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Pain Management
- Medical Ethics
Background:
- Suffering is a complex phenomenon impacting patient well-being.
- Understanding the prevalence and correlates of suffering is crucial for effective patient care.
Observation:
- A review of 24 studies examined suffering prevalence across advanced cancer/terminal illness/hospice (AC/TI/H), hastened death/assisted suicide/euthanasia (HD/AS/E), and noncancer (NC) patient groups.
- No studies on chronic nonmalignant pain (CNMP) suffering met inclusion criteria.
Findings:
- Prevalence of suffering: AC/TI/H (45.7%), HD/AS/E (81.9%), NC (19.2%). Combined prevalence was 59.9%.
- Consistent association between pain and suffering was found in AC/TI/H and combined groups (A rating).
- Inconsistent evidence for pain-suffering association in HD/AS/E (C rating); insufficient studies for NC group.
Implications:
- There is a consistent association between pain and suffering in certain patient populations.
- Further research is critically needed to understand suffering in patients with chronic nonmalignant pain.
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