Joanne O’Brien-Kelly, David Moore, Ian O’Leary, T. O’Connor, Zena Moore, D. Patton, L. Nugent
{"title":"Development and impact of a tailored eHealth resource on fibromyalgia patient’s self-management and self-efficacy: A mixed methods approach","authors":"Joanne O’Brien-Kelly, David Moore, Ian O’Leary, T. O’Connor, Zena Moore, D. Patton, L. Nugent","doi":"10.1177/20494637231221647","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231221647","url":null,"abstract":"To develop an eHealth resource to support fibromyalgia patients and explore it for usability and impact on their self-management and self-efficacy. Fibromyalgia is a complex, non-progressive chronic condition characterised by a bewildering array of symptoms for patients to self-manage. International guidelines recommend patients receive illness-specific information once diagnosed to promote self-management and improve health-related quality of life. A 3-phase mixed methods exploratory sequential design. Qualitative interviews explored the information and self-management needs of fibromyalgia patients attending a large tertiary hospital in Dublin. Identified themes together with an extensive review of the literature of interventions proven to be impactful by patients with fibromyalgia were utilised in the design and development of the eHealth resource. The resource was tested for usability and impact using pre and post-intervention outcomes measures. Patient interviews highlighted a lack of easy accessible evidenced information to support self-management implicating the urgent need for a practical solution through development of a tailored eHealth resource. Six themes emerged for inclusion; illness knowledge, primary symptoms, treatment options, self-management strategies, practical support and reliable resources. Forty-five patients who tested the site for usability and impact demonstrated a statistically significant improvement in self-efficacy after 4 weeks access with a medium positive effect size. Patients with the most severe fibromyalgia impact scores pre-intervention demonstrated the most improvement after 4 weeks. Patients gave the resource a System Usability Score A rating, highly recommending it for fellow patients diagnosed with fibromyalgia. The study demonstrated how the development of a novel eHealth resource positively impacted fibromyalgia patients’ self-efficacy to cope with this debilitating condition. This study suggests that access to eHealth can positively impact patients self-efficacy, has the potential to be a template for eHealth development in other chronic conditions, supporting advanced nurse practitioners working in chronic disease management.","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"116 25","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138959063","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nicola Cornwall, Charlotte Woodcock, Julie Ashworth, Sarah A Harrisson, L. Dikomitis, Simon White, T. Helliwell, Eleanor Hodgson, R. Knaggs, Tamar Pincus, M. Santer, Christian D Mallen, Clare Jinks
{"title":"Acceptability of a proposed practice pharmacist-led review for opioid-treated patients with persistent pain: A qualitative study to inform intervention development","authors":"Nicola Cornwall, Charlotte Woodcock, Julie Ashworth, Sarah A Harrisson, L. Dikomitis, Simon White, T. Helliwell, Eleanor Hodgson, R. Knaggs, Tamar Pincus, M. Santer, Christian D Mallen, Clare Jinks","doi":"10.1177/20494637231221688","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231221688","url":null,"abstract":"Regular review of patients prescribed opioids for persistent non-cancer pain (PCNP) is recommended but not routinely undertaken. The PROMPPT (Proactive clinical Review of patients taking Opioid Medicines long-term for persistent Pain led by clinical Pharmacists in primary care Teams) research programme aims to develop and test a pharmacist-led pain review (PROMPPT) to reduce inappropriate opioid use for persistent pain in primary care. This study explored the acceptability of the proposed PROMPPT review to inform early intervention development. Interviews ( n = 15) and an online discussion forum ( n = 31) with patients prescribed opioids for PCNP and interviews with pharmacists ( n = 13), explored acceptability of a proposed PROMPPT review. A prototype PROMPPT review was then tested and refined through 3 iterative cycles of in-practice testing (IPT) ( n = 3 practices, n = 3 practice pharmacists, n = 13 patients). Drawing on the Theoretical Framework of Acceptability (TFA), a framework was generated (including a priori TFA constructs) allowing for deductive and inductive thematic analysis to identify aspects of prospective and experienced acceptability. Patients felt uncertain about practice pharmacists delivering the proposed PROMPPT review leading to development of content for the invitation letter for IPT (introducing the pharmacist and outlining the aim of the review). After IPT, patients felt that pharmacists were suited to the role as they were knowledgeable and qualified. Pharmacists felt that the proposed reviews would be challenging. Although challenges were experienced during delivery of PROMPPT reviews, pharmacists found that they became easier to deliver with time, practise and experience. Recommendations for optimisations after IPT included development of the training to include examples of challenging consultations. Uptake of new healthcare interventions is influenced by perceptions of acceptability. Exploring prospective and experienced acceptability at multiple time points during early intervention development, led to mini-optimisations of the prototype PROMPPT review ahead of a non-randomised feasibility study.","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":" 38","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"138961413","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Lars B Eriksson, Torsten Gordh, Rolf Karlsten, Riccardo LoMartire, Andreas Thor, Åke Tegelberg
{"title":"Intravenous S-ketamine’s analgesic efficacy in third molar surgery. A randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial","authors":"Lars B Eriksson, Torsten Gordh, Rolf Karlsten, Riccardo LoMartire, Andreas Thor, Åke Tegelberg","doi":"10.1177/20494637231222327","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231222327","url":null,"abstract":"In most cases, a combination of paracetamol and ibuprofen are the optimal treatment for postoperative pain in third molar surgery. If stronger analgesia is required, opioids are traditionally administered. In day-case, surgery; however, opioids should be avoided. Thus, the anaesthetic agent S-ketamine in analgesic doses might be preferred. The study was designed as a randomized placebo-controlled double-blind clinical trial. The study enrolled healthy subjects according to the American Society of Anaesthesiologists classification; I or II (ASA), aged 18 to 44 years, with a body weight between 50 and 100 kg. The patients were randomized into three groups where two doses of S-ketamine were compared (high: 0.25 mg/kg or low: 0.125 mg/kg) with placebo (saline). A primary outcome of the study was that VAS at 4 h postoperatively, showed no significant difference between the placebo and high-dose S-ketamine group or in the low-dose group. We found a significant difference between the groups for the first 24 h, with a lower VAS-score in the high-dose S-ketamine group. The time to when 50% had taken their first rescue medication was 12 min later in the high-dose ketamine group. Pre-emptive S-ketamine 0.25 mg/kg gave a global significant reduction of pain by VAS during the first 24 h postoperatively. The time from end of surgery to first rescue medication were longer in the high-dose ketamine group compared to both low-dose ketamine and placebo groups.","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"7 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139000887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The efficacy, acceptability and safety of acceptance and commitment therapy for fibromyalgia – a systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Florence Eastwood, Emma Godfrey","doi":"10.1177/20494637231221451","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231221451","url":null,"abstract":"Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic pain disorder characterised by widespread pain, fatigue and cognitive symptoms. Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) aims to improve psychological flexibility and has been found to be beneficial in treating chronic pain; however, there are few studies evaluating its efficacy in treating FM. This systematic review and meta-analysis evaluated the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy in patients with fibromyalgia. PubMed, Embase and PsychInfo databases were searched. Randomised Controlled Trials (RCTs) were eligible for inclusion if participants had FM, and the intervention was based on the ACT framework/model, and not combined with any other active therapy; any non-ACT control was accepted. A meta-analysis was performed, with the primary outcomes pain acceptance (chronic pain acceptance questionnaire, CPAQ), health-related quality of life (fibromyalgia impact questionnaire, FIQ), attrition rate and frequency of adverse events, and the secondary outcomes pain intensity, disability, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Six RCTs, with a total of 384, mostly-female, participants were included, with ACT being delivered online, in a group setting, or one-to-one. ACT was superior to controls in improving FIQ score at post-intervention (SMD −1.05, 95% CI −2.02, −0.09) and follow-up (SMD −1.43, 95% CI −2.17, −0.69) and CPAQ post-intervention (SMD 1.05, 95% CI 0.61, 1.49) and at follow-up (SMD 0.95, 95% CI 0.40, 1.49). Attrition was below 20% in 4/6 studies and no adverse events were reported as attributable to ACT. All secondary outcomes showed large-to-moderate pooled effect estimates post-intervention, indicating improvement in anxiety, depression, pain and disability. Fatigue also improved, with a large negative effect. The results suggest ACT improved outcomes in patients with FM: there was an overall improvement in all outcomes post-intervention, with most maintained at follow-up. This review was, however, limited by the small body of evidence and differing methodologies of included studies.","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"49 19","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139006867","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
British Journal of PainPub Date : 2023-12-01Epub Date: 2023-10-18DOI: 10.1177/20494637231208167
Catharine Montgomery, Helen M Poole, Emma Begley, Yasir Abbasi
{"title":"Taking the pain out of pain.","authors":"Catharine Montgomery, Helen M Poole, Emma Begley, Yasir Abbasi","doi":"10.1177/20494637231208167","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231208167","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"17 6","pages":"514-518"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10642502/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134650213","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
British Journal of PainPub Date : 2023-12-01Epub Date: 2023-09-01DOI: 10.1177/20494637231199332
Zofia J Zakrzewska, Parinaz Hosseini-Ashrafi, Ishrat Hussain, Zachary James Moulder, Jithu Subhash, Melissa Tan, Martin Ewart Johnson, Joanna M Zakrzewska
{"title":"Management of trigeminal neuralgia: A multi-centre case study in general practice.","authors":"Zofia J Zakrzewska, Parinaz Hosseini-Ashrafi, Ishrat Hussain, Zachary James Moulder, Jithu Subhash, Melissa Tan, Martin Ewart Johnson, Joanna M Zakrzewska","doi":"10.1177/20494637231199332","DOIUrl":"10.1177/20494637231199332","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and aims: </strong>Patients often first present with symptoms of trigeminal neuralgia (TN) to primary care. However, there has been little research to determine whether the diagnosis and management of this condition is carried out according to current guidelines. Furthermore, there is little up-to-date information regarding the prevalence of TN in the UK. The aim is to estimate the prevalence of TN and to audit the diagnosis and management process of TN in primary care.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Between 2019 and 2020 a search was made at five UK GP practices with a total patient population of 55,842 using EMIS and SystmOne patient record systems to review patient consultations to identify patients coded with TN or facial pain (FP). These records were reviewed to ascertain the basis for diagnosis, management in primary care and referral to secondary care.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>157 patients were identified; 54 coded with FP and 103 with TN. These results indicate a prevalence of 22.3 in 10,000. There was no difference in documented symptoms between the two groups. Seven patients had all ICDH3 criteria recorded, with two meeting the requirements for TN diagnosis. 58.8% of patients with TN were started on carbamazepine, the current gold standard treatment, compared with 16.7% in the FP group. 38.2% of TN patients were referred to a range of different specialities.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>The prevalence of TN may be higher than previously thought. Key diagnostic criteria are often omitted, leading to potential misdiagnosis or delays in diagnosis. Relatively few referrals are made, though all patients should be considered for imaging.</p>","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"1 1","pages":"606-612"},"PeriodicalIF":1.3,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10642494/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"42351598","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
British Journal of PainPub Date : 2023-12-01Epub Date: 2023-08-25DOI: 10.1177/20494637231196426
Simon van Rysewyk, Renée Blomkvist, Antony Chuter, Rhea Crighton, Fiona Hodson, David Roomes, Blair H Smith, Francine Toye
{"title":"Understanding the lived experience of chronic pain: A systematic review and synthesis of qualitative evidence syntheses.","authors":"Simon van Rysewyk, Renée Blomkvist, Antony Chuter, Rhea Crighton, Fiona Hodson, David Roomes, Blair H Smith, Francine Toye","doi":"10.1177/20494637231196426","DOIUrl":"10.1177/20494637231196426","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Although multiple measures of the causes and consequences of chronic non-cancer pain (CNCP) are available and can inform pain management, no quantitative summary of these measures can describe the meaning of pain for a patient. The lived experience of pain tends to be a blind spot in pain management. This study aimed to: (1) integrate qualitative research investigating the lived experience of a range of CNCP conditions; (2) establish common qualitative themes in CNCP experience; and (3) evaluate the relevance of our results through a survey questionnaire based on these themes, administered across the United Kingdom.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Four bibliographic databases were searched from inception to February 2021 to identify Qualitative Evidence Syntheses (QES) that investigated the lived experience of CNCP and its impact on everyday life and activities. Themes and trends were derived by thematic qualitative analysis in collaboration with two patient and public involvement representatives who co-created twenty survey statements. The survey was developed for testing the QES themes for validity in people living with pain.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The research team identified and screened 1323 titles, and considered 86 abstracts, including 20 in the final review. Eight themes were developed from the study findings: (1) my pain gives rise to negative emotions; (2) changes to my life and to myself; (3) adapting to my new normal; (4) effects of my pain management strategies; (5) hiding and showing my pain; (6) medically explaining my pain; (7) relationships to those around me; and (8) working while in pain. Each theme gave rise to one or two survey questions. The survey was shared with members of the UK pain community over a 2-week period in November 2021, and was completed by 1219 people, largely confirming the above themes.</p><p><strong>Conclusion/implications: </strong>This study provides a validated summary of the lived experience of CNCP. It highlights the adverse nature, complications, and consequences of living with CNCP in the UK and the multiple shortcomings in the ways in which pain is addressed by others in the UK. Our findings are consistent with published meta-ethnographies on chronic non-malignant musculoskeletal pain and chronic low-back pain. Despite the underrepresentation of qualitative research in the pain literature compared to quantitative approaches, for understanding the complexity of the lived experience of pain, qualitative research is an essential tool.</p>","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"17 6","pages":"592-605"},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-12-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10642495/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134650214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Karl V. L. Kraft, Teresa Backmund, Leopold Eberhart, Ann-Kristin Schubert, Hanns-Christian Dinges, Maria K. Hagen, Markus Gehling
{"title":"Does opioid therapy enhance quality of life in patients suffering from chronic non-malignant pain? A systematic review and meta-analysis","authors":"Karl V. L. Kraft, Teresa Backmund, Leopold Eberhart, Ann-Kristin Schubert, Hanns-Christian Dinges, Maria K. Hagen, Markus Gehling","doi":"10.1177/20494637231216352","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231216352","url":null,"abstract":"Chronic pain is associated with a poor health-related quality of life (HRQL). Whereas the prescription rate of opioids increased during the last decades, their use in chronic non-malignant pain remains unclear. However, there is currently no clinical consensus or evidence-based guidelines that consider the long-term effects of opioid therapy on HRQL in patients with chronic non-cancer pain. This systematic review aims to address the question of whether opioid therapy improves HRQL in patients with chronic non-malignant pain and provide some guidance to practitioners. PubMed, EMBASE and CENTRAL were searched in June 2020 for double-blind, randomized trials (RCTs), comparing opioid therapy to placebo and assessed a HRQL questionnaire. The review comprises a qualitative vote counting approach and a meta-analysis of the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36), EQ-5D questionnaire and the pain interference scale of the Brief pain inventory (BPI). 35 RCTs were included, of which the majority reported a positive effect of opioids for the EQ-5D, the BPI and the physical component score (PCS) of the SF-36 compared to placebo. The meta-analysis of the PCS showed a mean difference of 1.82 [confidence interval: 1.32, 2.32], the meta-analysis of the EQ-5D proved a significant advantage of 0.06 [0.00, 0.12]. In the qualitative analysis of the mental component score (MCS) of the SF-36, no positive or negative trend was seen. No significant differences were seen in the MCS (MD: 0.65 [-0.43, 1.73]). A slightly higher premature dropout rate was found in the opioid group (risk difference: 0.04 [0.00, 0.07], p = .07). The body of evidence is graded as low to medium. Opioids have a statistically significant, but small and clinical not relevant effect on the physical dimensions of HRQL, whereas there is no effect on mental dimensions of HRQL in patients with chronic non-malignant pain during the initial months of treatment. In clinical practice, opioid prescriptions for chronic non-cancer pain should be individually assessed as their broad efficacy in improving quality of life is not confirmed. The duration of opioid treatment should be determined carefully, as this review primarily focuses on the initial months of therapy.","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"1 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-11-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139235722","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Caitlin A. Howlett, Tyman Stanford, Carolyn Berryman, E. L. Karran, V. Bellan, Scott Coussens, S. Miles, G. L. Moseley
{"title":"Investigating self-report and neuropsychological assessments of cognitive flexibility in people with and without persistent pain: An online, cross-sectional, observational study","authors":"Caitlin A. Howlett, Tyman Stanford, Carolyn Berryman, E. L. Karran, V. Bellan, Scott Coussens, S. Miles, G. L. Moseley","doi":"10.1177/20494637231215260","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231215260","url":null,"abstract":"People with persistent pain experience problems modifying their cognition and behaviours when task or environmental demands change – abilities otherwise known as cognitive flexibility. However, limitations and inconsistent results of previous studies raise concerns over the quality of that evidence. We aimed to determine whether people with and without persistent pain differ on two assessments that are commonly used to assess cognitive flexibility. We also examined the relationship between the two assessments and explored whether people with and without persistent pain are distinguishable based on their scores on these assessments. Participant demographics and symptoms of anxiety and depression were assessed. Participants completed the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI) and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Multiple linear regression on the two outcome variables: CFI (total score) and WCST (% perseverative responses) was applied using backward stepwise selection. Both outcomes were calculated as a standardised proportion of the outcome scale and log-odds transformed to meet the model assumptions. Correlation analysis and logistic regression were used to investigate our secondary and exploratory aims. Data were available from 128 participants with persistent pain and 68 pain-free controls. After adjusting for covariates, no differences were found between people with and without persistent pain on either assessment of cognitive flexibility. No significant correlations were detected between the two assessments in either group. The probability of having persistent pain was also not associated with scores on either or both assessments. ‘Cognitive flexibility’ appears similar in people with and without persistent pain.","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"38 8","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8,"publicationDate":"2023-11-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"139251140","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Elena Lopatina, Lori S Montgomery, Magali Robert, Robert L Tanguay, Tracy Wasylak
{"title":"Treated versus self-reported prevalence of chronic pain and costs of patients’ health services utilization: a population-based study of health administrative databases","authors":"Nguyen Xuan Thanh, Elena Lopatina, Lori S Montgomery, Magali Robert, Robert L Tanguay, Tracy Wasylak","doi":"10.1177/20494637231209928","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/20494637231209928","url":null,"abstract":"Objectives To compare treated to self-reported prevalence of chronic pain (CP) and to estimate health services utilization (HSU) costs of patients treated for CP in Alberta, Canada. Methods Patients treated for CP were identified by the physician billing codes of health services for CP from the practitioner claims database in fiscal year 2021/22. The treated prevalence of CP (number of these patients divided by the population) was compared to the self-reported prevalence of CP previously estimated (doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272638). Costs of patients’ HSU included costs for general practitioner (GP), specialist, inpatient, emergency department, outpatient clinic services, and prescription drugs. Results The treated prevalence of CP was 6.0% (4.4% among males and 7.8% among females) which was 30% to 41% of the self-reported prevalence. The highest treated prevalence (7.2%) was found in the age group of 18–64 years, followed by age groups of >64 years (7.0%) and <18 years (2.1%). The average cost per patient per year was $5096 ($5878 for males and $4652 for females), of which hospitalizations accounted for 65.0%, outpatient clinic visits 16.4%, ED visits 9.5%, prescription drugs 4.7%, GP visits 3.9%, and specialist visits 0.4%. The total cost of patients with CP for the health system was $1.37 billion (∼7% of total health expenditure), of which males accounted for 41.7% and females for 58.3%. Discussion Our findings suggest that the economic burden of CP is considerable and that many people with self-reported CP do not use the public healthcare services. This can be multifactorial, including lack of availability and accessibility of publicly funded services, people’s lack of awareness of available services, lower utilization due to COVID-19 pandemic, and reliance on self-management, private services, and alternative treatments. Further studies are warranted to inform future policies and health system initiatives aiming to reduce the burden of CP and improve lives of people living with it.","PeriodicalId":46585,"journal":{"name":"British Journal of Pain","volume":"83 10","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2023-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"135432958","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}