The majority of low-income patients visiting a primary care provider spend a significant amount of time talking about their pain, according to a study reported in Pain Medicine News.
The Journal of General Internal Medicine study analyzed 133 patient visits with 17 family medicine residents at a Detroit clinic. Nearly all of the patients (98.5 percent) self-identified as black, with a median annual income below $30,000. The study found that 69 percent of visits included a discussion of patients' pain, and in those visits, patients spent nearly one-fourth of their appointment time addressing pain issues.
"Ultimately we'd want more detailed understanding of the relationship between time spent discussing pain and the quality of the pain management," said lead study author Stephen Henry, MD. This relationship will help to shape strategies for improving communication about pain and may help to reduce or eliminate the pain burden within the study's patient population, he said.
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The Journal of General Internal Medicine study analyzed 133 patient visits with 17 family medicine residents at a Detroit clinic. Nearly all of the patients (98.5 percent) self-identified as black, with a median annual income below $30,000. The study found that 69 percent of visits included a discussion of patients' pain, and in those visits, patients spent nearly one-fourth of their appointment time addressing pain issues.
"Ultimately we'd want more detailed understanding of the relationship between time spent discussing pain and the quality of the pain management," said lead study author Stephen Henry, MD. This relationship will help to shape strategies for improving communication about pain and may help to reduce or eliminate the pain burden within the study's patient population, he said.
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