Patients’ Perceptions of Chronic Pain During the Economic Crisis: Lessons Learned from Greece

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain is well known to be influenced by various social factors; however, the impact of financial issues on pain has not been extensively studied. Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of the economic crisis on pain and quality of life in Greek patients suffering from chronic pain. Study Design: The study employed a prospective, open-label design. Setting: The study setting was the Pain Unit of Attikon University Hospital in Athens, Greece. Methods: The study surveyed 200 randomly selected outpatients with chronic pain during two different time periods (2012 and 2016). Patients completed a structured questionnaire to assess the impact of the economic crisis on multiple aspects of pain and pain management, health care, and quality of life. Personality characteristics and stress were also evaluated using the DASS-42 and the LOT-R questionnaires. Results: Most patients in both periods believed that the economic crisis led to a worsening of their symptoms (75%) and quality of life (97%). Most patients (97.5%) also believed that the intensity of their pain would have been improved if their financial status had been better. Their main concerns about the future were “the possibility of not having access to health care facilities and medication” (94.5%), “stress” (43%), and “fear of financial strain” (30.5%). Higher levels of anxiety, stress, and pessimism were associated with higher levels of pain and lower quality of life. Limitations: The study is based on a small sample size. Conclusions: This study identified impacts of the financial crisis on chronic pain and quality of life, pointing to the need for measures to solve this problem. Key words: Pain, global financial crisis, quality of life, quality of health care, psychosocial factors

The Impact of the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Patients’ Perceptions of Chronic Pain

“… 59 , 60 This is an added weight to the Greek population who have only just emerged from a decade of recession and a subsequent significant impact on patients’ pain levels and quality of life. 20 Lastly, (6) the long-term pain effects of ICU treatment or secondary diseases and parainfectious pain due to Covid-19 infection are currently under the microscope and remain to be seen. 61 …”

“…The questionnaire was developed based on the one used and validated in a previous study by the same team to assess the impact of the economic crisis on chronic pain patients. 20 , 28 It was further modified to assess the new problems that accompany the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown. The questionnaire has two parts.…”

Cross‐cultural Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Greek Version of the Central Sensitization Inventory

“…Lastly, the economic crisis in Greece may be another factor that influenced the scores in the current study. Even though the impact of financial issues on chronic pain has not yet been extensively studied, there is evidence that the economic crisis in Greece has affected quality of life and pain perception in patients with chronic pain …”

The Effect of the Treatment at a Pain Clinic on the Patients’ Assessment of Their Pain Intensity and the Incidence of Mental Disorders in the form of Anxiety, Depression, and Aggression

“…The duration of treatment was usually over two years, and over half of the patients were given specialist multimodal treatment. It follows from the study of Batisaki et al (2018) done in patients at the pain ward of the Attikon University General Hospital in Athens that the type of pain reported most frequently was located in the area of the lower back (sciatica) and headache [21]. Rockett et al (2013) did research among the patients of a pain management center in Plymouth that indicated that patients most often presented with back pain and secondly musculoskeletal and neuropathic pain [22].…”