Chronic pain and the use of health services

The range and extent of health consulting by people who have chronic pain attending a specialist clinic was assessed. Forty-two subjects attending Auckland Hospital pain clinic completed a questionnaire about their use of conventional and complementary health services for their pain in the previous 12 months. The general practitioner was the most frequently consulted health professional, visited, on average, 12.9 times per annum; compared with the expected rate of 4.2 consultations per annum. Medical specialists and health professionals had been consulted more frequently than complementary specialists. Twenty-five percent of the sample had been admitted to hospital for investigations relating to their pain in the previous year. On average, these patients spent $1333.63 per annum of their personal funds on health care. The cost of health care for chronic pain is significant both for the individual and the state and highlights the need for intensive pain management programmes.