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APS
E-News 25th Annual Scientific Meeting: Register Online Today! In This Issue: APS 25th Annual Scientific Meeting Calling NIH-Funded Researchers to Join the APS Small Grants Committee APS Accepting Nominations for Foley Journalist Award Call for New APS SIG: Pain in the Geriatric Population Pain Rehabilitation, Newest APS SIG Member
in the News News Highlights from The Journal of Pain Forward APS E-News to a Colleague!
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| Acknowledgment:
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| American
Pain Society |
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APS
25th Annual Scientific Meeting The APS Scientific Planning Committee, led by Chair Greg Terman, has taken great care to put together a program in 2006 that appeals to all disciplines. There are more than 130 distinguished faculty who will share their expertise and research findings. APS—2006
and Beyond Join APS President Dennis Turk in this year's special keynote session on May 3: "I will present a forward-looking agenda that builds on our past accomplishments and that is integrated with a newly crafted mission and vision for APS. Glimpse into the future of your organization and plan to join us at my keynote presentation in San Antonio." Wednesday,
May 3, 1–5 pm (001)
Evaluation of Fibromyalgia Pain: From Bench to Bedside (002)
Spinal Cord Stimulation: New Horizons for Chronic Pain Management
Eight corporate satellite symposia will be offered during breakfast, lunch, and dinner hours during the APS Annual Scientific Meeting. These independently sponsored events are supported by APS Corporate Members and are open to registrants of the APS 25th Annual Scientific Meeting. These programs are offered free of charge to all meeting registrants; however, preregistration is required. Seating will be available on a first-come, first-served basis. Visit the APS Web site for program descriptions and registration information. Thursday, May 4 12:15–1:45 pm Corporate Satellite Lunch Symposia
Friday, May 5 7–8:30 am Corporate Satellite Breakfast Symposia
12:30–2 pm Corporate Satellite Lunch Symposia
6:30–8:30 pm Corporate Satellite Dinner Symposia
Calling NIH-Funded Researchers to Join the APS Small Grants Committee This spring APS will invite grant applications for its second round of Future Leaders in Pain Small Grants. The number of grants available in 2006 is being increased thanks to a larger pool of donated funds. In 2005, there were 35 eligible grant applications, each of which was reviewed by three reviewers. In anticipation of the growth in applications and grant awards, the Small Grants Committee is seeking additional members to participate in reviewing grants and providing guidance to the grants program. The committee will meet in San Antonio during the APS Annual Scientific Meeting, where the 2005 grant recipients will present preliminary progress reports on their research. Grant applications will be reviewed in July. If you are an APS member and an NIH-funded researcher who would like to volunteer for this committee, please submit a brief letter of interest and an NIH biosketch to Cynthia Porter at the APS national office (cporter@connect2amc.com). Applications to join the committee are due by April 1, and decisions will be made by April 17. This committee is chaired by Sandra Ward, PhD RN, University of Wisconsin. Committee members include Misha-Miroslav Backonja, MD; C. Richard Chapman, PhD; James C. Eisenach, MD; Roger B. Fillingim, PhD; Gerald F. Gebhart, PhD; Keela Herr, PhD RN; and Mitchell Max, MD.
APS Accepting Nominations for Foley Journalist Award APS members are encouraged to submit nominations for the 2006 Kathleen Foley Journalist Award, to be presented at the APS Annual Scientific Meeting, May 3-6. Please consider sending applications for print and broadcast stories that you believe deserve special recognition for furthering public awareness of pain and pain management. The Kathleen Foley Journalist Award recognizes excellence in reporting pain-related topics. The award honors the work of journalists whose coverage of events, scientific discoveries, and patient-care issues and policies contributes to furthering public awareness and understanding of pain and pain-related issues. Previous winners were Arthritis Today magazine in 2005, Newsweek magazine in 2004, and AARP The Magazine in 2003. Eligibility
and Rules 2. Entries: Nominees may submit a single article or broadcast piece or a series of stories or columns related to specific pain and pain management topics related to science, patient care, and public policy. Submissions from APS members should include a brief letter describing the story and why the journalist should be considered for the Foley Award. 3. Deadline: Applications must be submitted by March 15, 2006. Mail entries to American Pain Society Journalist Awards, c/o Weber & Associates, 648 Balmoral Lane, Inverness, IL 60067. 4. Judging: Entries will be judged by a panel selected by APS. The winner(s) will be chosen solely at the discretion of the judges and will be notified by April 1, 2006. The award will be presented during the American Pain Society Annual meeting in San Antonio, May 3-6. 5. For further information: Contact Chuck Weber at 847/705-1802 or cpweber@weberpr.com.
Call for New APS SIG: Pain in the Geriatric Population A group of interested APS members is organizing a special interest group (SIG) to focus on the unique aspects of the basic science, diagnosis, and clinical aspects of pain in an elderly population. William Schwab, MD PhD, Chief of Geriatrics for Ohio Permanente Medical Group will chair the SIG. If you would like to participate in this SIG, please e-mail your interest to William.S.Schwab@kp.org.
Pain Rehabilitation, Newest APS SIG APS is pleased to announce the formation of a multidisciplinary SIG on pain rehabilitation. The SIG was highly endorsed by APS members and will be chaired by Drs. Edward Covington and Judith Scheman. If you are interested in joining this SIG, please email Dr. Covington (covinge@ccf.org) or Dr. Scheman (schemaj@ccf.org). You must be an APS member to join.
Member
in the News Former APS President Russell Portenoy, chair of the Department of Pain Medicine at New York's Beth Israel Medical Center, appeared on the January 29th edition of "60 Minutes" in a story about pain patient Richard Peay, who is imprisoned in Florida after being convicted for trafficking pain medications. Peay's appeal was heard on February 6, but no ruling has been made yet. In the "60 Minutes" story, correspondent Morley Safer asked Portenoy if it was possible for Peay, as he has maintained, to consume seemingly huge doses of prescription pain medications Percocet and Vicodin. "People are literally able to take industrial-strength doses without sustaining any problem at all," said Portenoy. "Look, I take care of two grandmothers, each one requiring grams a day of morphine—absolutely extraordinary doses. Now, obviously, if these high doses were given before they had a chance to acclimate to the drug, they would have been lethal." Safer then asked if law enforcement authorities have been overzealous in going after doctors and patients for abusing pain medications. Portenoy responded, "There's a very deep concern on the part of the medical profession that the authorities don't know anything about pain medicine, and are so afraid of prescription drug abuse that they tend to investigate or go after prescribers on the basis of very weak evidence." The full transcript of the "60 Minutes" story can be accessed at www.cbsnews.com.
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) recently released its summary of President Bush's fiscal year 2007 budget. According to APS Counsel, Bob Saner, items of note in the President's 2007 budget include the following:
The Department of Health and Human Services budget overview is available online at www.hhs.gov/budget/07budget/overview.html.
Very soon voting members will receive a ballot for the 2006 national election. Electronic invitations will be e-mailed to members with an active e-mail address. Printed letter invitations were mailed to those without e-mail and should arrive soon. Thanks to your nominations and the hard work of the APS Nominating Committee, voting members should have little trouble making a good choice in this election—all candidates are outstanding and dedicated APS members. The 2006 election candidates are: Secretary Timothy
Brennan, MD PhD Directors
at Large Robert
(Bob) Jamison, PhD Srinivasa
Raja, MD George
Wilcox, PhD Nominating
Committee—Past Presidents Ron
Dubner, DDS PhD Charles
Cleeland, PhD Christine
Miaskowski, PhD RN FAAN Nominating
Committee—Members at Large Elie
Al-Chaer, PhD JD MS Knox
Todd, MD MPH Paul
Arnstein, PhD RN Michael
Clark, PhD The deadline to vote is April 7, 2006. Results will be announced in the May APS E-News. Thank you in advance for doing your part to make this a record-breaking election year!
News Highlights from The Journal of Pain
Partner
Responses to Pain Behaviors Are Associated with Depression and Activity
Interference among Persons with Chronic Pain and Spinal Cord Injury This study examined how partner responses to pain behaviors are associated with decreased pain behaviors, such as depression severity. Seventy adults with chronic pain from spinal cord injuries (SCI) were surveyed with standard pain inventory and depression questionnaires. Previous studies have shown that social support is associated positively with improved pain behaviors, possibly because individuals who are satisfied with their support are receiving more positive reinforcement from the social environment. The authors determined that negative partner responses were significantly associated with depressive symptom severity in SCI patients. They concluded that although it is possible partner responses may contribute to depressive symptom severity, some depressed patients are more likely to perceive their responses as negative. From a clinical perspective, it was noted that decreasing negative partner responses to pain behaviors might be a potentially important clinical intervention. A
Pain Management Program for Chronic Cancer-Treatment-Related Pain:
A Preliminary Study Chronic cancer-treatment-related pain is becoming increasingly recognized as a complex clinical problem, as survivorship and improved quality of life have become more prevalent. Many studies have investigated pain problems in breast cancer patients treated with surgery or radiation therapy. The aim of this British study was to evaluate cognitive-behavioral pain management for cancer patients with chronic treatment-related pain. Thirteen patients were studied. Nine had a history of breast cancer and received extensive treatments, including surgery. The patients were exposed to several nonpharmacological interventions, such as education, relaxation, exercise training, and goal setting. The authors found that all had positive outcomes, and their improvements in daily activities and overall fitness allowed many to participate in domestic and work-related activities. The authors noted that the favorable outcomes could not be attributed to medical improvement since all patients had experienced pain for several years. They also reported that as cognitive-behavior interventions were successful in improving self efficacy, some patients may have utilized other coping strategies independent from the trial. Based on these findings, the authors recommended that non-pharmacologic therapies be considered for cancer patients with treatment-related pain. Recalled
Pain Ratings: A Complex and Poorly Defined Task Patients' self-reports are the standard for assessing pain severity. The purpose of this study was to determine how patients arrive at self ratings and whether or not they accurately represent actual pain experiences. Researchers conducted 106 interviews with rheumatology patients and asked how they arrived at their pain severity ratings. Response evaluations concluded that patients were unable to coherently state how they determined their pain ratings. This casts doubt on the validity of retrospective recall. The authors recommended that improved measurements of recalled pain should be explored to address several concerns, such as avoiding use of single methods to measure pain, determining the length of time patients are best able to recall pain, and limiting recall periods accordingly.
International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) is pleased to announce a call for applications for the IASP Research Grants funded by the Scan/Design by Inger and Jens Bruun Foundation, which were awarded for the first time in 2005. Two grants will be awarded—one for clinical research and one for basic research. These will be small, collaborative grant awards with a maximum of U.S. $10,000 each, subject to conditions. Deadline for receipt of applications by IASP is April 30, 2006. Awards will be announced by June 30, 2006. For more information or an application, please contact IASP at kathyh@iasp-pain.org, 206/283-0311, or visit www.iasp-pain.org. |
The
following highlights summarize selected articles from the February
2006 issue (volume 7, number 2) of The Journal of Pain.