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A pilot study of pain and attitudes toward pain in a rehabilitation population
Elizabeth W Loder1, Alan B Witkower
1Headache and Pain Management Programs, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA. eloder@partners.org
Objective:
The purpose of this pilot study was to better understand the extent of pain and patient attitudes regarding pain in a rehabilitation hospital.
Design:
A survey of rehabilitation inpatients focused on pain intensity and patient perceptions of the adequacy and timeliness of pain interventions.
Setting:
Academic rehabilitation hospital.
Patients:
Inpatients in specialty rehabilitation programs.
Results:
Forty-seven percent of patients surveyed reported experiencing pain in the previous 24 hours. Seventy-four percent of those patients rated their average level of pain at 5 or higher on a 0-10 scale. Fifty-seven percent of patients with pain reported that their pain interfered with their ability to participate in rehabilitation therapies. Additional data were obtained and analyzed to identify patient attitudes toward specific pain interventions and issues.
Conclusions:
Pain is highly prevalent in an inpatient rehabilitation hospital setting and is of moderate to severe intensity in the majority of patients who report it. Pain is judged by about half of patients to be a significant negative factor impeding rehabilitation efforts. Despite this, most patients reported satisfaction with pain treatment. Additional study is required to determine whether improvements in pain control might improve rehabilitation efficiency and outcomes.