The current IASP definition of pain as "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage" was recommended by the Subcommittee on Taxonomy and adopted by the IASP Council in 1979. This definition has become accepted widely by health care professionals and researchers in the pain field and adopted by several professional, governmental, and nongovernmental organizations, including the World Health Organization. In recent years, some in the field have reasoned that advances in our understanding of pain warrant a re-evaluation of the definition and have proposed modifications. Therefore, in 2018, the IASP formed a 14-member, multinational Presidential Task Force comprising individuals with broad expertise in clinical and basic science related to pain to evaluate the current definition and accompanying note and recommend whether they should be retained or changed. This review provides a synopsis of the critical concepts, the analysis of comments from the IASP membership and public, and the committee's final recommendations for revisions to the definition and notes, which were discussed over a 2-year period. The task force ultimately recommended that the definition of pain be revised to "An unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with, or resembling that associated with, actual or potential tissue damage," and that the accompanying notes be updated to a bulleted list that included the etymology. The revised definition and notes were unanimously accepted by the IASP Council early this year."Scientific and medical definitions are tools. Even when we recognize them as imperfect or provisional, awaiting replacement by an improved version, they perform work that cannot be accomplished by less precise instruments." David B. Morris [27] * Letter to the task force from M. Aydede titled "On the IASP Presidential Task Force's proposal for a new definition of 'pain'," dated
Background
Interprofessional primary care (IPC) teams provide comprehensive and coordinated care and are ideally equipped to support those populations most at risk of adverse health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic, including older adults, and patients with chronic physical and mental health conditions. There has been little focus on the experiences of healthcare teams and no studies have examined IPC practice during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of the study was to describe the state of interprofessional health provider practice within IPC teams during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods
Observational cross-sectional design. A web-based survey was deployed to IPC providers working in team-based primary care clinics in the province of Ontario, Canada. The survey included 26 close-ended and six open-ended questions. Close-ended questions were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Content analysis was used to analyze the open-ended questions.
Results
445 surveys were included in the final analysis. Service delivery shifted from in-person care (77% pre-COVID-19) to telephone (76.5% during the COVID-19 pandemic). Less than half of the respondents (40%) reported receiving any training for virtual delivery. Wait times to access team members were reported to have decreased. There has also been a shift in what IPC providers report as the most commonly seen conditions, with increases in visits related to mental health concerns, acute infections (including COVID-19), social isolation, and resource navigation. Respondents also reported a reduction in healthcare provision for multiple chronic conditions including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic pain.
Conclusions
IPC teams are rapidly shifting their practice to supporting their patients during the pandemic. A surge in mental health issues has been seen and is expected to continue to increase in response to COVID-19. Understanding early experiences can help plan for future pandemic waves.
Objectives
Our aim was to explore readiness to engage in exercise among people living with HIV and multimorbidity.
Design
We conducted a descriptive qualitative study using face-to-face semistructured interviews with adults living with HIV.
Setting
We recruited adults (18 years or older) who self-identified as living with HIV and 2 or more additional health-related conditions from a specialty hospital in Toronto, Canada.
Participants
14 participants with a median age of 50 years and median number of 9 concurrent health-related conditions participated in the study. The majority of participants were men (64%) with an undetectable viral load (71%).
Outcome measures
We asked participants to describe their readiness to engage in exercise and explored how contextual factors influenced their readiness. We analysed interview transcripts using thematic analysis.
Results
We developed a framework to describe readiness to engage in exercise and the interplay of factors and their influence on readiness among adults with HIV and multimorbidity. Readiness was described as a diverse, dynamic and fluctuating spectrum ranging from not thinking about exercise to routinely engaging in daily exercise. Readiness was influenced by the complex and episodic nature of HIV and multimorbidity comprised of physical impairments, mental health challenges and uncertainty from HIV and concurrent health conditions. This key factor created a context within which 4 additional subfactors (social supports, perceptions and beliefs, past experience with exercise, and accessibility) may further hinder or facilitate an individual's position along the spectrum of readiness to exercise.
Conclusions
Readiness to engage in exercise among people living with HIV is a dynamic and fluctuating construct that may be influenced by the episodic nature of HIV and multimorbidity and 4 subfactors. Strategies to facilitate readiness to exercise should consider the interplay of these factors in order to enhance physical activity and subsequently improve health outcomes of people with HIV and multimorbidity.
Background/Aims: Many people living with HIV do not engage in regular physical activity and it is unclear how perceptions of physical activity and exercise influence participation. Our aim was to explore individual perceptions of physical activity and exercise in people living with HIV. Methods: We conducted a descriptive qualitative study using face-to-face semi-structured interviews. We recruited adults who self-identified as living with HIV from a speciality hospital in Toronto, Canada. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analysed using thematic analysis. Findings: A total of 14 participants with a median age of 50 years participated in the study. Four themes (and subsequent sub-themes) emerged relating to physical activity and exercise. These included: (1) perceptions of physical activity and exercise (seeing them as a continuum of activity, as a health-promoting behaviour, and that they ‘should’ be a greater priority); (2) benefits (restores physical function, improves mental health, and prevents isolation); (3) risks (physical injury, pain, and fear of ‘overdoing it’); and (4) recommendations for engagement (education, graded activity, and an individualised approach). Conclusions: Findings suggest health care professionals should consider exploring perceptions of physical activity and exercise among people living with HIV to ensure physical activity interventions are individualised to meet their diverse health and wellbeing needs.
Objective
To explore strategies used by people living with chronic pain when participating in physical activity and exercise and their recommendations for health care providers when promoting participation in physical activity and exercise.
Design
Interpretive description qualitative study.
Setting
Participants were recruited from primary care sites and a hospital-based chronic pain clinic in Kingston, Ontario, Canada.
Subjects
Adults (>18 years of age) who self-identified as experiencing chronic pain (three months’ duration) were interviewed.
Methods
In-depth semistructured interviews were conducted with participants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and reviewed for accuracy by the interviewer. Transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis. Peer debriefing, reflexivity, and multiple in-person meetings were used to establish trustworthiness.
Results
Sixteen adults (five men, 11 women) with a median age of 53 years were interviewed. Strategies used by people living with chronic pain to participate in physical activity and exercise included 1) finding the motivation, 2) setting up for success, 3) leveraging social support, and 4) managing pain and discomfort during activity. Recommendations for health care providers when promoting participation in physical activity and exercise for people living with chronic pain included 1) the importance of listening, 2) providing tailored advice, 3) being supportive, and 4) making physical activity and exercise programming accessible.
Conclusions
People living with chronic pain reported using multiple strategies to participate in physical activity and exercise. Recommendations for health care providers centered on the importance of listening and taking a supportive approach when promoting engagement in physical activity and exercise for this population.
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