Background: Osteoarthritis is understood to be a common cause of pain and dysfunction in cats; however there are few validated pain assessment methods for chronic pain in cats. In order to design a proper pain questionnaire, it usability need to be tested in both sound and sick cats. Aim: The aim was to investigate the usability of the pain questionnaire ?Lifestyle changes in cats? by compiling the results from the pain questionnaire reflecting the lifestyle in 30 healthy cats and compare it to the results from a clinical examination, as well as proposing improvements and additions to the questionnaire based on a literature review. Material and method: 30 healthy cats participated in the pilot study; the pet owner filled out a pain questionnaire with 16 questions regarding their cat´s behavioral and eventual changes in behavior and physical function. Thereafter the cat walked over a pressure measurement mat and finally underwent an orthopedic-directed clinical examination. The literature was found on Web of Knowledge, PubMed, Sciencedirect, and Google Scholar and also with the help of my supervisors.

BACKGROUND: There is a high incidence of pain amongst older people. Several studies have shown that between 50 to 80 % of older people, who require domestic care or live in care homes, suffer from pain. Despite this many older people are under treated. AIM: The aim of this study was to explore what care providers perceive to be obstacles and opportunities of managing pain in older people. METHOD: A qualitative approach was used and the date was semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions.

One third of all Swedish people will suffer in cancer. Pain is a common symptom in cancer patients. The pain is subjective and includes several dimensions. The dimensions of pain are the physical, psychological, social and spiritual. This is a literature review and the aim with this study was to identify the pain experience in patients with cancer receiving palliative care.

Background: Vacuum assisted closure, VAC, is a method which can benefit wound closure. There are not many reliable studies about the effects of VAC in different types of wounds. Previous studies have shown that patients have experienced pain during dressing changes.Aim: The aim of the study was to survey in what kind of wounds the vascular surgery ward have been using VAC, to study the treatment process of VAC and how it has been documented and also to investigate if patients with VAC experienced pain during dressing changes.Method: The patients were chosen from a ledger, which contained 77 patients that had been treated with VAC on the vascular surgery ward. Data were collected with a journal survey protocol.Results: The result is based on 67 patients with a total of 79 wounds. VAC was shown to have a good effect on wound healing and infected surgical wounds were the most commonly wound category undergoing treatment with VAC.

AbstractPURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe and compare possible differences regarding selected prognostic factors for disability between patients with non-specific chronic pain who were about to start a multidisciplinary treatment program (MMR), either within primary care (MMR1) or hospital care (MMR2).METHODS: The study had a descriptive and comparative cross sectional design. Eighty-nine patients were recruited consecutively when they were about to start their team treatment (50 in MMR1,39 in MMR2). The measurements were; Evaluation of self-reported self-efficacy for eight daily activities (STIVA-8), The Pain Belief Screening Instrument (PBSI) and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).RESULTS: The study found some significant differences between the answers from patients in MMR1 and those from patients in MMR2. For instance, patients in MMR2 estimated lower self-efficacy according to STIVA-8 than patients in MMR1. Also, there were fewer low risk patients and more high risk patients in MMR2 than in MMR1 regarding pain intensity according to PBSI.

Background: The majority of patients requiring medical attention experience some degree of pain. The nurses´ assessment of pain is crucial in reducing the patients suffering in a proper and timely manner. Previous studies have shown that the treatment of pain in a emergency situation is poorly managed. The patients´ pain experience is often under assessed and undertreated which leads to increased suffering for the patient. This results in higher costs for the health care system due to prolonged hospitalization.

Background: Many women experience high levels of pain after caesarean birth. Adequate postoperative Pain treatment is important for the mother to be able to breastfeed, take care of the infant and experience a positive birth. Objective: The overall aim is to study women?s experience of postoperative pain and pain relief after caesarean birth. Method: A quantitative retrospective survey.

Aim: The aim of this study was to highlighting the experiences of individuals of non-pharmacological treatment for chronic pain.Method: The study was designed as a literature review with aim to review andcompile the articles results. This study has been based on a systematic literature search of supplementing out of an unsystematic search were 11 articles were found.Results: The participants in the studies had experienced a good effect out of non-pharmacological treatments for their pain and a improved quality of life. Based on participants´ experiences of treatment two categories occurred: body awareness and relaxation. Body awareness arose through treatments like yoga, mindfulness meditation and CBT. Relaxation occurred through treatments, like music, heat, massage and meditation.Conclusion: This study highlights how non-pharmacological treatments is experienced by individuals with chronic pain and two key areas have been identified.

5-hydroxytryptamin (5-HT) is biochemically derived from Tryptophan. Kynurenic acid and quinolinic acid are also known metabolites of tryptophan. 5-HT is considered to play a role in depression and today selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are used for treatment of depression. 5-HT may also play a role in pain perception. The aim of this study was to investigate whether a supplement of tryptophan may affect conditions such as depression and/or pain.

Background: Patients postoperative pain is often underestimated. Untreated or undertreated pain decreases the chance of optimal recovery after surgery. Pain assessment is an important factor of efficient pain relief. Aim: The aim of the literature study was to describe factors of importance for nurses´ assessment of postoperative pain in patients. Method: A literature study was done where qualitative and one quantitative article was reviewed.

Pain related behaviour in 1.5 year old colts was studied both prior to and following castration. The horses were filmed 24 h prior to surgery and 24 h postoperatively. Parameters, inactive and active behaviours, were recorded in terms of cumulative time observed. Both groups of horses were exercised three times and the gait quality was evaluated. Few differences were observed between the groups.

Jumper´s knee is a common overuse injury due to repetitive microtrauma to the patellar tendon. It is especially common among athletes who are involved in sporting activities that involve jumping or fast running. The term jumper´s knee was adopted after Blazina published his original paper in 1973. Its pathology can be considered as a partial or total rupture of the patellar tendon in one of its three insertions. The aim of this literature study was to review the methods used to treat this condition and the results obtained focusing on pain relief and returning to previous sport or level of activity.

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate how VAS (Visual Analogue Scale) is used in the prehospital environment, and describe how patients 40 years and older with acute chest pain describe their pain with help of VAS. Further, to investigate how the literature describes other instruments to evaluate pain. Method: This was a descriptive study and used both literature and empiric material as foundation. The selection consist of the paramedics medical record from one emergency department, 100 men and 100 women with chest pain witch had been transported with ambulance to one hospital in middle of Sweden. A literature review was done in order to see what previous research recommends for pain rating scales.Results: The study showed that 71 (35 %) of 200 individuals pain were rated with VAS according to the guidelines for the ambulance department.

People with dementia often have difficulties expressing their needs. Untreated pain within this group can be manifested as depression, agitation or loss in appetite. It can be a challenging task for a nurse to estimate, treat and evaluate pain for people with dementia. With good knowledge and an empathic approach, nurses can often recognize and relieve pain amongst these people. Despite this, litterature often suggest that unrecognized and untreated pain is common within this group..

The aim of this study was to describe nurses? knowledge of pain. The method used was a systematic literature study. Information was gathered from the databases Blackwell Synergy, Academic Search Elite and Medline, and the keywords used in the search were: pain, knowledge, nurses and nurses.The result was divided into three subgroups; Insignificant documentation and evaluation. More education is necessary.