Chronic pain and use of ambulatory health care

Bibliographic Data

ID19301248
AuthorsMICHAEL VON KORFF (Group Health Cooperative), E H Wagner (Group Health Cooperative), Samuel F Dworkin (Group Health Cooperative), Kathleen Saunders (Group Health Cooperative), K W Saunders
Year1991
Volume53
Issue1
Pages61-79
Publication date1991-01-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenuePsychosomatic Medicine (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0033-3174 • E-ISSN: 1534-7796
PublisherOvid Technologies (Wolters Kluwer Health) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1097/00006842-199101000-00006
PMID2011651
OpenAlexW1985848582
LanguageEN
Citations received5

Chronic pain status and health care utilization were assessed in a probability sample of 1016 adult HMO enrollees, and among 242 HMO enrollees seeking treatment for Temporomandibular Disorder (TMD) pain. Likelihood of health care contact for a painful symptom: Among persons reporting back pain, headache, chest pain, abdominal pain or temporomandibular pain in the prior six months, we evaluated whether (1) pain characteristics (severity, persistence, recency of onset), and (2) psychological distress were associated with the likelihood of recent use of health care for each pain symptom. Severity, persistence, and recency of onset of pain were generally associated with recent health care contact for a pain symptom. Females with a pain symptom were no more likely than males to report recent health care contact for the symptom after controlling for pain characteristics. The presence of psychological distress did not increase the likelihood of health care contact for individual pain symptoms. However, psychologically distressed persons were more likely to report pain at multiple anatomical sites and to report recent health care contact for one or more of the five pain symptoms (as a group). Chronic pain status and total use of ambulatory health care: Total number of health care visits (irrespective of reason for visit) was measured by automated data. Chronic pain status (summarized across all five anatomical sites) showed a modest correlation with the volume of health care use. Persons with recurrent pain and severe-persistent pain with no pain-related disability days used ambulatory care at rates close to population means. Persons with severe-persistent pain and seven or more pain related disability days used health care at rates substantially above population means. There was a statistically significant association between the volume of health care use and chronic pain after controlling for age, sex, self-rated health status, and psychological distress

Alternative medicine · Ambulatory · Ambulatory care · Back pain · Chronic pain · Distress · Health care · Pain catastrophizing · Physical therapy · Population · Clinical Psychology · Internal Medicine · Medicine · Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation

Tools

Open DOISci-Hub