Who Treats Patients with Chronic Pain?Discrepancies between the Results of Two Pilot Studies in Project Algos

Overview

Discrepancies between the Results of Two Pilot Studies in Project AlgosThe objective of our study was to reveal the prevalence of chronic pain in the Czech Republic,some risk factors in the origin of chronic pain, and the mode and quality of its treatment.Presented are results of a pilot study concerned with the problem mentioned, and at the sametime we confront it with results of a questionnaire survey among general practitioners with theaim to find howmany patients with chronic pain are in their care, and what course their therapyhas. The first study included 10 % of an expected representative selection of the population inthe Czech Republic, i.e. 350 respondents stratified so as to correspond with the populationstructure of the Czech Republic. The questionnaire was handed out to the respondents personally.From the respondents there have been obtained 324 fully filled-in questionnaires. Out ofthat number 199 respondents, in the course of the past year, suffered some pain lasting formorethan three days, 71 (22 % of respondents) suffered pain lasting longer than 3 months (chronicpain). The most frequent localization was in the back, head, and joints, the greatest intensitybeing in tumor diseases, post-operative and post-traumatic states, and pain of undefinedetiology. Pain markedly limited the life of the suffering, more so in the family than at work.Availability and quality of health care were rated rather as very good or good, the effects oftreatment as good and partial, and hope of recovery being in part only. The other was a postalquestionnaire survey including members of the Association of General Practitioners in the the Czech Republic and of the Society of General Medicine of the J. E. Purkyně Czech MedicalAssociation. Out of almost 3,000 questionnaires 267 (about 9 %) could be processed. From theresults it follows that patients suffering pain comprise 6.2 % of patients attended by theresponding physicians. A great majority of those patients are treated at the GP’s office, a partof them at he LSPP, a minimum are treated by homecare agencies. The discrepancy betweenthe number of persons down with chronic pain and the number of patients attended by GPs isanalyzed in the discussion.

Key words:
chronic pain - prevalence - treatment.