Multidisciplinary management of persistent pain in primary care-A systematic review.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: A multidisciplinary approach is the gold standard in the management of persistent pain and is current practice in tertiary pain clinics. However, such approaches seem to be a rarity in primary care, although pain is the most common reason for visiting a primary care physician. A comprehensive systematic review was conducted to explore whether studies on multidisciplinary management programs for persistent pain exist in primary care. DATABASES AND DATA TREATMENT: PubMed, Ovid MEDLINE, Scopus, CINAHL, and PsychINFO were searched from inception to October 2022, and supplementary research was conducted in June 2023. Screening, data extraction, and quality assessment were independently carried out by two researchers. The inclusion criteria were (1) adult patients (age >18 years); (2) non-cancer pain, persisting over 3 months; (3) multidisciplinary intervention (treatment included ≥3 heathcare professionals); (4) intervention conducted in a primary care setting; and (5) reports published in English. RESULTS: Of the 1250 initially identified studies, 17 were selected for final analysis. Only studies reporting empirical data were included (cohort, case-control, randomized controlled trial, and observational). The study settings and intervention characteristics showed great heterogeneity. The primary care practices also varied across different countries and cultures. Overall, the quality of the studies was rather low and sample sizes were relatively small. CONCLUSIONS: The review revealed that studies about such treatment interventions for persistent pain patients are scarce. The existing studies were heterogeneous in terms of intervention characteristics, population, outcome variables, and study methodology. Future studies are urgently needed. SIGNIFICANCE: Persistent pain is a growing challenge to the health care system, and most patients are treated in primary care. The biopsychosocial concept is the basis for the multidisciplinary management of pain. The review revealed that studies about treatment interventions for persistent pain patients are scarce. Existing studies were heterogeneous in terms of intervention characteristics, population, outcome variables, and study methodology. There is an urgent need for further studies on systematic multidisciplinary treatment protocols for managing persistent pain in primary care.

Pain experience in an aging adult population during a 10-year follow-up.

OBJECTIVES: This 10-year follow-up study aimed to examine the persistence of SF-36 pain intensity and pain-related interference and to identify baseline factors that may relate to pain experience among community-dwelling aging adults. METHODS: Questionnaire and clinical data on a total of 1,954 participants (mean age at baseline 63 years) were collected in 2002, 2005, 2008, and 2012. Based on pain reports, four pain intensity, pain interference (PIPI) groups were formed at each time point: PIPI group I: none to mild pain intensity and interference; II: moderate to extreme pain intensity, none to mild pain-related interference; III: None to mild pain intensity, moderate to extreme pain-related interference, IV: Moderate to extreme pain intensity and interference. RESULTS: Participants with the most pain at baseline improved their pain situation the most during the follow-up. Higher BMI was associated with pain interference, and metabolic syndrome (MetS) and musculoskeletal diseases with both pain intensity and interference (p<0.05, statistically significant interaction between pain intensity and pain interference) at baseline. According to multivariate logistic regression analysis the following baseline characteristics were associated with remaining in PIPI group I throughout the follow-up: presence of musculoskeletal disease (OR 0.22 [95% CI 0.16-0.30]), high BMI (OR 0.93 [95% CI 0.90-0.97]), high household income (OR 1.46 [95% CI 1.07-1.98]), good childhood home environment (OR 1.03 [95% CI 1.00-1.05]). CONCLUSIONS: Multiple factors may affect pain persistence in late adulthood with varying effect on pain intensity and pain-related interference. Pain situation of even those with most pain may be improved.

Analgesic purchases among older adults - a population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Pain is a frequent and inevitable factor affecting the quality of life among older people. Several studies have highlighted the ineffectiveness of treating chronic pain among the aged population, and little is known about the prevalence of analgesics administration among community-dwelling older adults. The objective was to examine older adults' prescription analgesic purchases in relation to SF-36 pain in a population-based setting. METHODS: One thousand four hundred twenty community-dwelling citizens aged 62-86 years self-reported SF-36 bodily pain (pain intensity and pain-related interference) scores for the previous 4 weeks. The Social Insurance Institution of Finland register data on analgesic purchases for 6 months prior to and 6 months after the questionnaire data collection were considered. Special interest was focused on factors related to opioid purchases. RESULTS: Of all participants, 84% had purchased prescription analgesics during 1 year. NSAIDs were most frequently purchased (77%), while 41% had purchased paracetamol, 32% opioids, 17% gabapentinoids, and 7% tricyclic antidepressants. Age made no marked difference in purchasing prevalence. The number of morbidities was independently associated with analgesic purchases in all subjects and metabolic syndrome also with opioid purchases in subjects who had not reported any pain. DISCUSSION: Substantial NSAID and opioid purchases emerged. The importance of proper pain assessment and individual deliberation in terms of analgesic contraindications and pain quality, as well as non-pharmacological pain management, need to be highlighted in order to optimize older adults' pain management.

Pain-related factors in older adults.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Pain is an evident factor affecting the quality of life in all age groups. The objective was to examine the prevalence of self-reported SF-36 bodily pain and pain-related factors in community-dwelling older adults. METHODS: One thousand four hundred and twenty adults aged 62-86 years self-reported SF-36 bodily pain during the previous month. For the analysis, four pain groups were formed (group I [0-45, moderate to very severe pain intensity and interference], group II [47.5-70], group III [77.5-90], and group IV [100, no pain at all]). Additional questionnaire-provided data regarding education, wealth, life habits, and morbidity, as well as clinical data were considered. RESULTS: The overall pain prevalence was 78% (SF-36 bodily pain score <100). The prevalence of cohabiting, as well as the years of education and household income were found to decrease with an increasing SF-36 bodily pain score. The prevalence of a BMI of over 30 and of central obesity emerged as the highest in group I. Morbidities were found to be most prevalent in group I. CONCLUSIONS: A high prevalence of intense and interfering pain was reported. Multiple factors that were found to relate to pain have previously been demonstrated to associate with social exclusion. Increasing attention should be paid to distinguishing these factors in patients with pain, as well as targeted pain assessment and measures to improve the sense of community among older adults. IMPLICATIONS: There is a lack of large studies that examine a wide scale of pain-related factors in the older adult population. To distinguish subjects with multiple such factors would help medical professionals to target their attention to patients at a high risk of chronic pain.