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Quantifying Pain Location and Intensity with Multimodal Pain Body Diagrams
Published on: July 7, 2023
People in pain: how do they seek relief?
Qiuling Shi1, Gary Langer, Jon Cohen
1Department of Symptom Research, The University of Texas M D Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX 77030, USA.
The Journal of Pain
|June 26, 2007
Summary
Many people with pain use multiple relief strategies, but inadequate pain relief is common. Communication barriers and lack of health insurance significantly hinder effective pain management for individuals experiencing moderate to severe pain.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Pain Management
- Health Services Research
Background:
- Understanding how the general population seeks and experiences pain relief is crucial for improving healthcare.
- Previous research has limited insight into the diverse pain relief strategies employed by individuals and their perceived effectiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the prevalence of recent moderate to very severe pain in the U.S. population.
- To identify the methods people use to seek pain relief.
- To report the perceived effectiveness of various pain relief strategies.
Main Methods:
- Secondary analysis of a nationwide survey data from 1204 U.S. general population respondents.
- Examined pain prevalence, healthcare seeking behaviors, and self-reported effectiveness of pain relief methods.
Main Results:
- 31% of respondents experienced moderate to very severe pain recently; 75% sought medical attention.
- Only 56% of those seeking medical care achieved significant pain relief.
- 92% of pain sufferers used three or more alternative pain control strategies; prayer and chiropractic care were more effective for those not seeking medical attention.
Conclusions:
- Difficulty in communicating with healthcare professionals and lack of health insurance are significant barriers to adequate pain relief.
- Individuals experiencing pain often utilize multiple complementary and alternative medicine strategies.
- Patient-provider communication and health insurance coverage are critical factors influencing pain management outcomes.
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