HealthMark Multimedia Launches Cancer Pain: Your Guide to Relief™, a CD-ROM to Help Cancer Patients and Caregivers Understand and Manage Pain
Cancer patients fear pain that is associated with the disease and its treatments. Up to 90% of cancer patients may experience pain, depending on treatment, stage of disease and type of cancer. This new CD-ROM provides information to cancer patients and caregivers about pain management and gives them tools for monitoring and addressing multiple aspects of pain.
(PRWEB) June 8, 2005 -- Other than death, cancer patients’ greatest fear is
pain. And these fears are not unfounded. People with cancer experience pain more
than any other symptom. An estimated 30 to 50 percent of patients undergoing
treatment for a solid tumor and 70 to 90 percent of patients with advanced
disease experience chronic pain.
Patients’ experience of pain varies by
their diagnosis and stage of the illness. Some cancers produce little pain in
early stages, but pain generally increases as the disease progresses. But
wherever people are in the cancer experience, the level of pain intensity in
large part determines their physical and emotional status.
Developed in
partnership with the American Pain Foundation, this interactive CD-ROM provides
information on important aspects of cancer pain management. This information
includes possible causes of pain, the importance of assessing and describing
pain, use of medications, concerns patients have regarding addiction to opioids,
complementary methods of pain management such as acupuncture, and how to work
with the medical system to get the best care. An interactive pain tool
facilitates reporting pain to the health care team and helps patients track
their pain levels and relief over time. Twelve printable fact sheets cover
topics such as pain management during hospitalization, finding a pain
specialist, and building trust with a doctor. Additionally there are 35
medication factsheets that cover 220 pain and side effects medications.
A seven-minute progressive relaxation exercise is also included.
Personal stories from patients and their loved ones present the challenges they
face, the knowledge they have gained, and how they cope with chronic pain. The
CD-ROM is narrated with supporting graphic and short text elements, making the
information accessible to users with a range of education levels. Much of the
information and tools are applicable to others attempting to manage pain.
Cancer Pain: Your Guide to Relief™ is available to single users for
$19.95. It can be purchased at www.healthmarkmultimedia.com. A multiuser version, for use in
hospitals and doctors offices, is available for $150. Please call 1-877-722-2255
for institutional purchases.
HealthMark Multimedia, LLC™, uses a
combination of graphics, audio, video and text to develop unique multimedia
educational programs for patients and health care professionals. The company
uses an extensive network of medical experts, patients and family members to
review product information for accuracy, relevance and usefulness. HealthMark
Multimedia also develops customized multimedia projects for companies and other
organizations needing specialized health communications. HealthMark Multimedia
content is available for licensing.
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Source : http://www.prweb.com/releases/2005/6/prweb247002.htm