[Status survey of Austrian pain clinics 2023 : Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pain management services].

Background: According to a 2020 report by the Austrian Pain Society (ÖSG), between 1.5 and 1.8 million people in Austria suffer from chronic pain. For the treatment of these patients, multimodal pain therapy in specialized pain therapy facilities should be considered. This study aimed to analyze the actual postpandemic state of care in pain clinics in 2022 and to show how it has changed in recent years.

Methods: In our survey, the heads or employees of all anesthesiology departments in Austria were asked via SurveyMonkey (SurveyMonkey Inc., San Mateo, CA, USA) using an access code to compare the pre- to postpandemic status of their pain clinics. Only anesthesiology departments were contacted, as pain clinics in Austria are almost entirely run by them. This survey was sent online by email to the heads of Austrian hospitals with an existing pain clinic and was open for completion from autumn 2022 to May 2023.

Results: Of the 109 surveyed clinics, 92 participated in our study. Only 51 currently operate a pain clinic, seven of which are full-time. Nine pain clinics had closed since 2014, while seven new ones have opened. According to our data, only one specialized hospital and two basic care hospitals offer multimodal pain therapy. Invasive procedures were used more often compared to multimodal pain therapy.

Conclusion: Despite the nominal increase of pain clinics in Austria, there is a multifactorial discrepancy between the recommendation of the Austrian Pain Society and the actual care of patients with chronic pain in Austria. Administrative and personnel obstacles must be overcome to meet the needs of this patient group. In addition, efforts to increase the interest of physicians in chronic pain management are needed. Greater support from healthcare policies and effective integration of pain clinics into the healthcare system could help improve the care situation.