Healthcare service use in adolescents with non‐specific musculoskeletal pain

Masiero, Stefano; Carraro, Elena; Sarto, Diego; Bonaldo, Lara; Ferraro, Claudio

doi:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2010.01770.x

Cited by 34 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…A study from Italy found that 96.8% of adolescents with non-specific musculoskeletal pain were advised to rest and use medication, seek physical therapy and rehabilitation, or a combination of these [29]. However they also found that only 70% of the adolescents complied with the advice.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Care-seeking behaviour of adolescents with knee pain: a population-based study among 504 adolescents

Rathleff

Skuldbøl

Rasch

et al. 2013

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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BackgroundKnee pain is common during adolescence. Adolescents and their parents may think that knee pain is benign and self-limiting and therefore avoid seeking medical care. However, long-term prognosis of knee pain is not favourable and treatment seems to offer greater reductions in pain compared to a “wait-and-see” approach. The purpose of this study was to describe the determinants of care-seeking behaviour among adolescents with current knee pain and investigate what types of treatment are initiated.MethodsAn online questionnaire was forwarded to 2,846 adolescents aged 15–19 in four upper secondary schools. The questionnaire contained questions on age, gender, height, weight, currently painful body regions, frequency of knee pain, health-related quality of life measured by the EuroQol 5-dimensions, sports participation and if they had sought medical care. Adolescents who reported current knee pain at least monthly or more frequently were telephoned. The adolescents were asked about pain duration, onset of knee pain (traumatic or insidious) and if they were currently being treated for their knee pain.Results504 adolescents currently reported at least monthly knee pain. 59% of these had sought medical care and 18% were currently under medical treatment . A longer pain duration and higher pain severity increased the odds of seeking medical care. Females with traumatic onset of knee pain were more likely to have sought medical care than females with insidious onset of knee pain. Females with traumatic onset of knee pain and increased pain severity were more likely to be undergoing medical treatment. The most frequently reported treatments were the combination of exercises and orthotics (68% of those undergoing medical treatment).ConclusionFemales with insidious onset of knee pain do not seek medical care as often as those with traumatic onset and adolescents of both genders with insidious onset are less likely to be under medical treatment. These findings are important as knee pain with insidious onset has similar consequences as knee pain with traumatic onset regarding pain severity, pain duration and reductions in health-related quality of life.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Care-seeking behaviour of adolescents with knee pain: a population-based study among 504 adolescents

Rathleff

Skuldbøl

Rasch

et al. 2013

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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“…Our overall estimate that 1 in 8 children made physician visits each year for MSD is considerably higher than previous estimates. However, previous studies tend to base their estimates on a limited age range of patients with MSD, mainly adolescents [9,10], data from only one sector of the healthcare system, such as primary care [11], or a restricted range of diagnostic terms [11,12]. To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe the prevalence of healthcare utilization over the full age range of the paediatric population using an inclusive definition of musculoskeletal disorders and all types of physicians for a large and representative population.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Magnitude of impact and healthcare use for musculoskeletal disorders in the paediaric: a population-based study

Gunz

Cañizares

MacKay

et al. 2012

BMC Musculoskelet Disord

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Background: Although musculoskeletal disorders (MSD) are among the most prevalent chronic conditions, minimal attention has been paid to the paediatric population. The aim of this study is to describe the annual prevalence of healthcare contacts for MSD by children and youth age 0-19 years, including type of MSD, care delivery setting and the specialty of the physician consulted. Methods: Analysis of data on all children with healthcare contacts for MSD in Ontario, Canada using data from universal health insurance databases on ambulatory physician and emergency department (ED) visits, same-day outpatient surgery, and in-patient admissions for the fiscal year 2006/07. The proportion of children and youth seeing different physician specialties was calculated for each physician and condition grouping. Census data for the 2006 Ontario population was used to calculate person visit rates. Results: 122.1 per 1,000 children and youth made visits for MSD. The majority visited for injury and related conditions (63.2 per 1,000), followed by unspecified MSD complaints (33.0 per 1,000), arthritis and related conditions (27.7 per 1,000), bone and spinal conditions (14.2 per 1,000), and congenital anomalies (3 per 1,000). Injury was the most common reason for ED visits and in-patient admissions, and arthritis and related conditions for day-surgery. The majority of children presented to primary care physicians (74.4%), surgeons (22.3%), and paediatricians (10.1%). Paediatricians were more likely to see younger children and those with congenital anomalies or arthritis and related conditions. Conclusion: One in eight children and youth make physician visits for MSD in a year, suggesting that the prevalence of MSD in children may have been previously underestimated. Although most children may have self-limiting conditions, it is unknown to what extent these may deter involvement in physical activity, or be indicators of serious and potentially life-threatening conditions. Given deficiencies in medical education, particularly of primary care physicians and paediatricians, it is important that training programs devote an appropriate amount of time to paediatric MSD.

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“…20 Epidemiological studies have reported increased rates of health services use by children with chronic pain in Europe and Asia. 19, 26, 37 For example, Perquin et al (2000) found high rates of physician consultation (57%) and medication use (39%) in a community sample of children with chronic pain in the Netherlands. 26 Small single-site investigations have also reported on high rates of physician consultation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Economic Costs of Chronic Pain Among a Cohort of Treatment-Seeking Adolescents in the United States

Groenewald

Essner

Wright

et al. 2014

The Journal of Pain

322

241

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The aim of this study was to assess the economic cost of chronic pain among adolescents receiving interdisciplinary pain treatment. Information was gathered from 149 adolescents (ages 10-17) presenting for evaluation and treatment at interdisciplinary pain clinics in the United States. Parents completed a validated measure of family economic attributes, the Client Service Receipt Inventory, to report on health service use and productivity losses due to their child's chronic pain retrospectively over 12 months. Health care costs were calculated by multiplying reported utilization estimates by unit visit costs from the 2010 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. The estimated mean and median costs per participant were $11,787 and $6,770 respectively. Costs were concentrated in a small group of participants, the top 5 % of those patients incurring the highest costs accounted for 30 % of total costs while the lower 75 % of participants accounted for only 34 % of costs. Total costs to society for adolescents with moderate to severe chronic pain were extrapolated to $19.5 billion annually in the U.S. The cost of childhood chronic pain presents a substantial economic burden to families and society. Future research should focus on predictors of increased health services use and costs in adolescents with chronic pain. Perspective This cost of illness study comprehensively estimates the economic costs of chronic pain in a cohort of treatment-seeking adolescents. The primary driver of costs was direct medical costs followed by productivity losses. Because of its economic impact, policy makers should invest resources in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of chronic pediatric pain.

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Healthcare service use in adolescents with non‐specific musculoskeletal pain

Abstract: Non-specific musculoskeletal pain is a frequent event in Italian adolescents and that a large number of these subjects consult a healthcare service.

Cited by 34 publications

References 25 publications

Care-seeking behaviour of adolescents with knee pain: a population-based study among 504 adolescents

Care-seeking behaviour of adolescents with knee pain: a population-based study among 504 adolescents

Magnitude of impact and healthcare use for musculoskeletal disorders in the paediaric: a population-based study

The Economic Costs of Chronic Pain Among a Cohort of Treatment-Seeking Adolescents in the United States

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