Survey reveals communication gap between health care professionals + pain profes

[Guest guest]

New survey reveals communication gap between health care

professionals and pain patients

Nation's top pain organizations unite to address issue

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-09/kd-nsr090508.php

A nationwide survey found a sizable gap exists between patients and

healthcare professionals when it comes to understanding and

discussing pain. To address this discrepancy, a new coalition of

leading pain management organizations has formed to improve how

patients and healthcare professionals communicate with each other.

The Let's Talk Pain Coalition is the first of its kind to unite the

perspectives of patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals to

encourage people to talk more about pain, listen actively, and act in

ways that improve care for the millions of people who live with pain.

The organizations behind Let's Talk Pain have created a new

interactive Web site, www.letstalkpain.org, to provide visitors with

comprehensive information and tools to help enhance the dialogue

between those affected by pain and healthcare professionals.

" Pain is one of the nation's leading public health problems, and it

often goes under-treated. It is difficult to diagnose and challenging

to talk about, " said Dr. Fishman, Chair and President of the

American Pain Foundation and Chief of the Division of Pain Medicine

and Professor of Anesthesiology at the University of California at

. " Open lines of communication and strong patient-professional

relationships are what healthcare professionals strive for, and in

pain management this is absolutely vital. This Coalition is exciting

because it aims to help professionals and patients communicate better

in order to help improve pain management. "

The Let's Talk Pain Coalition debuts this week at the American

Academy of Pain Management (the Academy) annual meeting in Nashville,

TN. The Academy is one of the founding members of the Coalition along

with the American Society for Pain Management Nursing (ASPMN) and the

Coalition's lead organization, the American Pain Foundation (APF).

PriCara™, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is

the sponsor of the Coalition.

One of the Coalition's first activities was a national online survey

of pain patients and physicians. It revealed the need for an increase

in open and direct conversations about pain and highlighted the

impact pain has on patients' quality of life. The findings also

underscored a disconnect between how patients and physicians are

communicating with each other. Additional barriers such as lack of

trust and not enough time for office visits can affect

communications, and ultimately may influence pain management.

According to the survey:

Sixty percent of patients strongly agreed that they can be open and

honest about their pain with their physician. Yet, the same survey

found that less than 10 percent of physicians strongly agreed that

their patients tell them the truth about their pain.

While the majority of physicians, 97 percent, strongly agreed that

there is enough time to discuss pain with their patients, less than

half of patients surveyed, 46 percent, felt the same way.

Pain has a substantial impact on the lives of patients and interferes

with their ability to work outside the home and to exercise.

Treatment-related side effects can have a negative impact on the

management of pain, causing some patients and physicians to

discontinue using pain medicine.

" Having pain is challenging and has significantly affected my daily

life, to the point where I have had to stop working, " said

, a land-based artist who suffers from chronic pain and is

featured in a video on the Let's Talk Pain Web site. " Pain is an

invisible condition. I have learned that the best way to improve my

health and my treatment outcome is through engaging in an open and

personal dialogue with my healthcare professional and connecting with

others to talk about pain. "

's story and the Let's Talk Pain Web site were previewed during

the ASPMN annual conference in Tucson, AZ, for pain management nurses

this past weekend. Several Web features were highlighted, including:

Talk: an interactive section where visitors—pain patients and

healthcare professionals alike—can learn strategies for opening up

the lines of communication about pain. Housed here are video success

stories from real patients and healthcare professionals as well as an

interactive Q & A with pain experts.

Listen: a clearinghouse of essential, credible information about

pain. Here people with pain, healthcare professionals, caregivers,

and family members can become familiar with pain terms and conditions

as well as learn more about how pain is assessed so that it is easier

to start an informed dialogue.

Act: a section with up-to-date information on how the Coalition is

improving communication within the pain community.

" Let's Talk Pain offers the first pain resource that will effectively

equip people to improve how they discuss pain so that the actions

taken improve pain outcomes, " said Eksterowicz, MSN, RN-BC,

Department of Anesthesiology Acute Pain Service, University of

Virginia Health System, and President-Elect of ASPMN. " The pain

community has never had one online location for credible information,

nor have we had a place where patients and healthcare professionals

can connect to learn from each others' experiences. "

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About the Survey

The Let's Talk Pain Coalition commissioned a national, Internet-based

survey of 500 pain patients and 275 physicians treating pain,

including primary care physicians, oncologists, pain specialists,

neurologists, rheumatologists, surgeons, and psychiatrists. Analytica

International, a research firm based in New York, NY, conducted the

survey from April 3 to 11, 2008.

American Pain Foundation

Founded in 1997, the American Pain Foundation (APF) is an independent

nonprofit 501©3 organization serving people with pain through

information, advocacy, and support. APF's mission is to improve the

quality of life of people with pain by raising public awareness,

providing practical information, promoting research, and advocating

to remove barriers and to increase access to effective pain

management. For more information, visit www.painfoundation.org.

American Academy of Pain Management

The American Academy of Pain Management (the Academy) is a nonprofit

organization serving a broad range of clinicians who treat people

with pain through education, information, and advocacy. Founded in

1988, the Academy has approximately 5,300 members and is the largest

interdisciplinary/integrative pain organization in the United States.

American Society for Pain Management Nursing

American Society for Pain Management Nursing's mission is to advance

and promote optimal nursing care for people affected by pain by

promoting best nursing practice. This is accomplished through

education, standards, advocacy, and research. Visit www.aspmn.org.

PriCara™, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

PriCara™, Division of Ortho-McNeil-Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is

a major health care company in the United States dedicated to the

needs of primary care providers who serve a vital role on the

frontline of medicine. For more information about the company, please

visit www.PriCara.com.