Frequency and characteristics of healthcare visits associated with chronic pain: results from a population-based Canadian study

Abstract

Purpose This study was designed to investigate the role of chronic pain in healthcare visits. The specific objectives were to document the frequency of healthcare visits and to identify characteristics associated with frequent visits. Methods This is a secondary analysis of data from a Canadian cross-sectional study on chronic pain. One thousand two hundred and ninety-four participants were screened for chronic pain, and 741 reported having ''pain or discomfort that had been experienced either all the time or intermittently for at least three months''. Data regarding sociodemographics, general health, and healthcare visits were also collected. The frequency of healthcare visits was defined as at or above the 90th percentile for the group. Frequency was calculated for each setting, i.e., physicians' offices (C 9), emergency departments (C 1), and other (C 15). Binary logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with frequent visits.Results Chronic pain increased the frequency of visits to physicians (odds ratio [OR], 4.7; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.8 to 7.9), emergency departments (OR, 1.4; 95% CI, 1.0 to 2.0), and ''other'' healthcare professionals (OR, 8.3; 95% CI, 4.5 to 15.5). Having C3 chronic conditions significantly increased the odds of frequent healthcare visits. Conclusion Interventions aimed at reducing healthcare costs for chronic pain should target individuals living with multiple chronic conditions. Research is needed to develop and test interventions that focus on the needs of these groups. Identifying the risk factors for high healthcare use and improving self-management may reduce healthcare visits. RésuméObjectif Cette étude a été conçue afin d'examiner le rô le de la douleur chronique dans les visites aux services de soins de santé. Les objectifs spécifiques de l'étude étaient de documenter la fréquence des visites et de déterminer les caractéristiques associées à des visites fréquentes. Méthode Cette étude est une analyse secondaire de données tirées d'une étude canadienne transversale sur la douleur chronique. Au total, 1094 patients ont été dépistés pour la douleur chronique, et 741 ont rapporté ressentir « des douleurs ou un inconfort perçus de façon continue ou intermittente pendant au moins trois mois ». Les données sociodémographiques ainsi que celles concernant la santé générale et les visites aux services de soins de santé ont également été colligées. La fréquence des visites aux services de soins de santé a été définie comme étant égale ou au-dessus du 90 e percentile pour le groupe et calculée pour chaque type de service, soit les docteurs et spécialistes (C 9), les départements d'urgence (C 1), et

Dutch Dataset Pain Rehabilitation in daily practice: Content, patient characteristics and reference data

“…Chronic pain in general and higher pain-related disability are associated with greater use of health care services (Blyth et al, 2004;Mann et al, 2016), this might explain high medical consumption in our study sample. Chronic pain in general and higher pain-related disability are associated with greater use of health care services (Blyth et al, 2004;Mann et al, 2016), this might explain high medical consumption in our study sample.…”

“…This study also showed that patients frequently visit health care professionals before their referral for pain rehabilitation treatment. Chronic pain in general and higher pain-related disability are associated with greater use of health care services (Blyth et al, 2004;Mann et al, 2016), this might explain high medical consumption in our study sample. Although no data for medical consumption for the total period of pain duration were collected, the medical consumption in the year prior to referral was high, even in patients with long pain duration (>5 years).…”

Return to Work of Patients Treated With Spinal Cord Stimulation for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…Despite the extreme complexity of chronic pain, pain relief is the principal desired outcome for SCS . The high socioeconomic burden and healthcare utilization associated with chronic pain are therefore often reduced to secondary outcomes . When pain becomes chronic, return to work (RTW) is negatively associated with a delay in referral to treatment, socioeconomic status, attorney involvement, and worker's compensation are .…”

The known knowns and known unknowns of chronic pain

“…In their postal survey, albeit with a response rate of only 19%, they found that chronic pain was associated with increased visits to doctors, emergency departments, and other healthcare professionals (chiropractors, physiotherapists). 5 While a lot of effort has been spent on exposing the problems associated with chronic pain, attention should also be devoted to the solutions. In this article, the author presents a snapshot of the ''knowns'' and ''unknowns'' of these efforts in pain management.…”

“…À partir de leur sondage par correspondance, qui n'a certes eu qu'un faible taux de réponse de 19 %, les auteurs ont pu déduire que la douleur chronique était associée à une augmentation des visites chez le médecin, à l'urgence et chez d'autres professionnels de la santé (chiropraticiens, physiothérapeutes). 5 Bien que des efforts considérables aient été déployés pour faire la lumière sur les problèmes associés à la douleur chronique, il serait également utile de se pencher sur les solutions. Dans cet article, l'auteur présente un instantané des choses que nous savons et de celles que nous ignorons à propos de ces efforts en matière de prise en charge de la douleur.…”