Sub-optimal pain control in patients with rheumatic disease

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Pain Management
• Clinical Assessment

Background:

• The visual analog scale (VAS) is a widely used tool for pain assessment in rheumatic diseases.
• Understanding the reliability and influencing factors of VAS scores is crucial for accurate clinical evaluation and research.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate if patients report pain differently to doctors versus nurses.
• To determine the reproducibility of VAS scores concerning diagnosis, age, gender, and treatment.
• To ascertain the pain levels in patients attending general rheumatology clinics.

Main Methods:

• 108 patients attending rheumatology clinics completed two VAS pain assessments.
• Assessments were conducted before and after clinic visits, administered by both doctors and nurses.
• Data on patient demographics, diagnosis, and treatment were collected.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found between VAS scores administered by doctors or nurses.
• VAS scores demonstrated good reproducibility, unaffected by age, gender, or diagnosis.
• Patients on analgesia reported significantly higher pain levels (49 mm) compared to those not on analgesia (27 mm).

Conclusions:

• The visual analog scale (VAS) is a reliable and effective pain assessment tool in rheumatology.
• Pain reporting is consistent across different healthcare professionals and patient characteristics.
• Suboptimal pain control in patients on analgesia highlights the need for targeted pain assessment and management strategies.