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Browsing by Author "Miller, Megan"
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Item A Systematic Approach to Developing Virtual Patient Vignettes for Pediatric Health Equity Research(Mary Ann Liebert, 2022-11-22) Mulchan, Siddika S.; Miller, Megan; Theriault, Christopher B.; Zempsky, William T.; Hirsh, Adam; Psychology, School of ScienceObjective: The aim of this study was to describe a systematic approach to developing virtual patient (VP) vignettes for health equity research in pediatric pain care. Methods: VPs were initially developed to depict the body posture and movements of actual children experiencing pain. Researchers and clinicians with expertise in pediatric pain worked closely with a professional animator to portray empirically supported pain expression in four, full-motion, virtual male characters of two races (i.e., White and Black). Through an iterative process, VPs were refined to (1) appear realistic in a clinical setting and (2) display archetypal pain behavior and expression during a 1-min video clip without sound. Text vignettes were developed with consultation from experts in pain care and presented alongside VPs to assess clinical decision-making. VP vignettes were piloted in a sample of pediatric providers (N=13). Results: Informed by the literature and expertise of stakeholders, several revisions were made to improve VPs' facial grimacing and realism before piloting. VPs appeared to accurately capture important aspects of pain expression and behavior common among pediatric patients with pain disorders. Additional refinements to the text vignettes were made based on provider feedback to improve clarity and clinical relevance. Conclusions: This article presents a working framework to facilitate a systematic approach to developing VP vignettes. This framework is a first step toward advancing health equity research by isolating psychosocial and interpersonal factors affecting provider behavior and decision-making. Future research is needed to validate the use of VP vignettes for assessing provider behavior contributing to health inequities for youth with pain disorders.Item Benefits of Intervention in Managing Chronic Pain(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2014-04-11) Benbow, Kyle L.; Miller, Megan; Scott, Eric; Kroenke, KurtAs studies of individuals with chronic pain continue more is being understood about cognitive and behavioral components that drive pain. While the goal of treatment is to reduce or eliminate the locus of pain, another model known as intervention, focuses more on self-management and cognitive change. The presented research is the 12-month results of trails of intervention for chronic pain management. Three hundred participants were recruited from the VA of Indianapolis. All participants were being seen in a primary care setting for severe pain that persisted for more than 3 months. Participants were randomly assigned to two groups: the control group, which would continue receiving the usual care for their pain; and the variable group, which would receive intervention. Intervention methods included automated home-based monitoring, selective care manager calls, weekly case review with MD specialist and escalation of therapy using an evidence-based stepped care analgesic algorithm. Participants pain was measured using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), which is a self-report assessing the severity of pain and impact of pain on daily functioning. The trial results showed that a 1-point difference in BPI scores between the intervention and control group. Participants in the intervention group showed a good adherence and satisfaction with automate and nurse components of intervention. These results show pain management through intervention has a positive effect on pain, which in turn has an effect on depression, anxiety, and outlook. Intervention aims to empower patients to become active participants in the management of their illness and feel more in control of their pain in hopes of giving them a better outlook of their situation.Item Pain Control in Breast Surgery: Survey of Current Practice and Recommendations for Optimizing Management—American Society of Breast Surgeons Opioid/Pain Control Workgroup(Springer, 2020-04) Rao, Roshni; Jackson, Rubie Sue; Rosen, Barry; Brenin, David; Cornett, Wendy; Fayanju, Oluwadamilola M.; Chen, Steven L.; Golesorkhi, Negar; Ludwig, Kandice; Ma, Ayemoethu; Koslow Mautner, Starr; Sowden, Michelle; Wilke, Lee; Wexelman, Barbara; Blair, Sarah; Gary, Monique; Grobmyer, Stephen; Hwang, E. Shelley; James, Ted; Kapoor, Nimmi S.; Lewis, Jaime; Lizarraga, Ingrid; Miller, Megan; Neuman, Heather; Showalter, Shayna; Smith, Linda; Froman, Joshua; Medicine, School of MedicineIntroduction: The opioid epidemic in the United States is a public health crisis. Breast surgeons are obligated to provide good pain control for their patients after surgery but also must minimize administration of narcotics to prevent a surgical episode of care from becoming a patient's gateway into opioid dependence. Methods: A survey to ascertain pain management practice patterns after breast surgery was performed. A review of currently available literature that was specific to breast surgery was performed to create recommendations regarding pain management strategies. Results: A total of 609 surgeons completed the survey and demonstrated significant variations in pain management practices, specifically within regards to utilization of regional anesthesia (e.g., nerve blocks), and quantity of prescribed narcotics. There is excellent data to guide the use of local and regional anesthesia. There are, however, fewer studies to guide narcotic recommendations; thus, these recommendations were guided by prevailing practice patterns. Conclusions: Pain management practices after breast surgery have significant variation and represent an opportunity to improve patient safety and quality of care. Multimodality approaches in conjunction with standardized quantities of narcotics are recommended.