Unmet Needs in the Management of Functional Impairment in Patients with Chronic Pain: A Multinational Survey

Abstract

Background: A survey of European Pain Federation 2019 attendees was conducted to identify unmet needs in chronic pain patients. Materials & methods: Four questions were asked focusing on functional impairment in chronic pain, including who are at increased risk and ways to better identify and manage these patients. Results: In total 143 respondents indicated that key issues were lack of knowledge, lack of resources/time to assess and manage chronic pain and lack of sufficient tools to identify patients at risk for functional impairment. Education and training of primary care physicians, simplified guidelines and practical tools for assessment and use of multidisciplinary teams to treat chronic pain were recommended. Conclusion: There are many unmet needs in the management of functional impairment in chronic pain patients.

Lay abstract

Chronic pain is one of the most common and complex conditions. It can lead to disability in some patients and significantly affect their ability to function. Patients with chronic pain often have difficulty performing routine household tasks, working productively, engaging in social activities and sleeping. When individuals seek treatment for chronic pain they should be able to have an honest conversation with their doctor about all of the disabling aspects of their pain and agree on achievable goals of treatment (e.g., the ability to perform routine household chores). We asked a group of delegates attending the European Pain Federation pain congress what they thought may impede doctors’ ability to accurately assess and alleviate functional disability associated with chronic pain. According to these survey respondents, general practitioners (GPs) do not have sufficient knowledge, time or resources to properly manage patients with chronic pain. When asked what would help to improve this situation, the survey respondents suggested more training for GPs, better techniques for assessing disability that focus on measurable indicators of disability, such as activity levels, time off work and sleep quality. They also recommend consulting with a number of different healthcare professionals, including physiotherapists and psychologists, who should work collaboratively with GPs to provide comprehensive, holistic care to patients with chronic pain.

Keywords::

• assessment
• chronic pain
• function
• multidisciplinary
• primary care
• survey

Supplementary data

To view the supplementary data that accompany this paper please visit the journal website at: www.tandfonline.com/doi/suppl/10.2217/pmt-2020-0098

Author contributions

R Karra was involved in the concept, design, and implementation of the survey, as well as data collection and interpretation. SH Rossing was involved in delegate enrollment. D Mohammed was involved in data analysis. OC Namnún and M Heine were involved in manuscript development. L Parmeggiani and all other authors critically assessed and reviewed all drafts of the manuscript and approved the manuscript for submission. All authors had full access to all of the data in this study and take complete responsibility for the integrity of the data and accuracy of the data analysis.

Acknowledgments

We would like thank Carlos Garcia Fernandez of Grünenthal for reviewing the manuscript.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

All authors are employees of Grünenthal. The survey and the journal’s Accelerate Publication fee were funded by Grünenthal. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

Medical writing assistance was provided by Catherine Rees of Springer Healthcare Communications who wrote the outline and Joanne Dalton who wrote the first draft on behalf of Springer Healthcare Communications and was funded by Grünenthal.

Ethical conduct of research

This survey did not require institutional review board approval because this survey gathered physician practice related information and did not involve any data either from human participant or animals. This article does not contain any data generated from studies with human participants or animals.

Data sharing statement

Data are available on request from Grünenthal. However, all data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article/as supplementary information files.

Additional information

Funding

All authors are employees of Grünenthal. The survey and the journal’s Accelerate Publication fee were funded by Grünenthal. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed. Medical writing assistance was provided by Catherine Rees of Springer Healthcare Communications who wrote the outline and Joanne Dalton who wrote the first draft on behalf of Springer Healthcare Communications and was funded by Grünenthal.