Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations
Background. Chronic pain (CP) accounts for 10–16% of emergency department (ED) visits, contributing to ED overcrowding and leading to adverse events. Objectives. To describe patients with CP attending the ED and identify factors contributing to their visit. Methods. We used a mixed-method design com...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2016-01-01
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| Series: | Pain Research and Management |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3092391 |
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| author | Patricia A. Poulin Jennifer Nelli Steven Tremblay Rebecca Small Myka B. Caluyong Jeffrey Freeman Heather Romanow Yehudis Stokes Tia Carpino Amanda Carson Yaadwinder Shergill Ian G. Stiell Monica Taljaard Howard Nathan Catherine E. Smyth |
| author_facet | Patricia A. Poulin Jennifer Nelli Steven Tremblay Rebecca Small Myka B. Caluyong Jeffrey Freeman Heather Romanow Yehudis Stokes Tia Carpino Amanda Carson Yaadwinder Shergill Ian G. Stiell Monica Taljaard Howard Nathan Catherine E. Smyth |
| author_sort | Patricia A. Poulin |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background. Chronic pain (CP) accounts for 10–16% of emergency department (ED) visits, contributing to ED overcrowding and leading to adverse events. Objectives. To describe patients with CP attending the ED and identify factors contributing to their visit. Methods. We used a mixed-method design combining interviews and questionnaires addressing pain, psychological distress, signs of opioid misuse, and disability. Participants were adults who attended the EDs of a large academic tertiary care center for their CP problem. Results. Fifty-eight patients (66% women; mean age 46.5, SD = 16.9) completed the study. The most frequently cited reason (60%) for ED visits was inability to cope with pain. Mental health problems were common, including depression (61%) and anxiety (45%). Participants had questions about the etiology of their pain, concerns about severe pain-related impairment, and problems with medication renewals or efficacy and sometimes felt invalidated in the ED. Although most participants had a primary care physician, the ED was seen as the only or best option when pain became unmanageable. Conclusions. Patients with CP visiting the ED often present with complex difficulties that cannot be addressed in the ED. Better access to interdisciplinary pain treatment is needed to reduce the burden of CP on the ED. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-03da1cd9cb124673aa7e812d100856b5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1203-6765 1918-1523 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2016-01-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pain Research and Management |
| spelling | doaj-art-03da1cd9cb124673aa7e812d100856b52025-02-03T01:01:49ZengWileyPain Research and Management1203-67651918-15232016-01-01201610.1155/2016/30923913092391Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for PresentationsPatricia A. Poulin0Jennifer Nelli1Steven Tremblay2Rebecca Small3Myka B. Caluyong4Jeffrey Freeman5Heather Romanow6Yehudis Stokes7Tia Carpino8Amanda Carson9Yaadwinder Shergill10Ian G. Stiell11Monica Taljaard12Howard Nathan13Catherine E. Smyth14The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Anesthesiology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartment of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaChildren’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario, Ottawa, ON, CanadaCarleton University, Ottawa, ON, CanadaCarleton University, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaThe Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaBackground. Chronic pain (CP) accounts for 10–16% of emergency department (ED) visits, contributing to ED overcrowding and leading to adverse events. Objectives. To describe patients with CP attending the ED and identify factors contributing to their visit. Methods. We used a mixed-method design combining interviews and questionnaires addressing pain, psychological distress, signs of opioid misuse, and disability. Participants were adults who attended the EDs of a large academic tertiary care center for their CP problem. Results. Fifty-eight patients (66% women; mean age 46.5, SD = 16.9) completed the study. The most frequently cited reason (60%) for ED visits was inability to cope with pain. Mental health problems were common, including depression (61%) and anxiety (45%). Participants had questions about the etiology of their pain, concerns about severe pain-related impairment, and problems with medication renewals or efficacy and sometimes felt invalidated in the ED. Although most participants had a primary care physician, the ED was seen as the only or best option when pain became unmanageable. Conclusions. Patients with CP visiting the ED often present with complex difficulties that cannot be addressed in the ED. Better access to interdisciplinary pain treatment is needed to reduce the burden of CP on the ED.http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3092391 |
| spellingShingle | Patricia A. Poulin Jennifer Nelli Steven Tremblay Rebecca Small Myka B. Caluyong Jeffrey Freeman Heather Romanow Yehudis Stokes Tia Carpino Amanda Carson Yaadwinder Shergill Ian G. Stiell Monica Taljaard Howard Nathan Catherine E. Smyth Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations Pain Research and Management |
| title | Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations |
| title_full | Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations |
| title_fullStr | Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations |
| title_full_unstemmed | Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations |
| title_short | Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations |
| title_sort | chronic pain in the emergency department a pilot mixed methods cross sectional study examining patient characteristics and reasons for presentations |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2016/3092391 |
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