The Spaniards who suffer pain value very negatively their quality of life.

Study on the impact of pain on the quality of life and the use of health resources in Spain

-this article concludes that the pain is in Spain infratratado, thereby increasing the suffering of patients with pain, as well as the use of health resources

-60.4% of Spaniards who do not suffer pain appreciate their quality of life as good or even as a very good, compared to only 23.4% of Spaniards who suffer pain her appraised as good

-this articlebased on data from the study carried out by Kantar Health, is published in the latest issue of the journal Journal of Medical Economics ”. It is shows that people with pain receive worse their State of health, both physical and emotional, coming to affect them negatively its ability to work

– also concludes that a better understanding and treatment of pain could reduce current health expenditures. Early detection and adequate treatment could avoid that pain become chronic

Discusses the incidence of pain in the emotional and physical health. 16.1% Of patients with pain valued their physical health as poor, while only 2.09% of patients evaluated it negatively. Dr. César Margarit, the pain unit of the University General Hospital of Alicante and member of the Committee of experts of PAIN CHANGE adds that the quality of life both in the physical dimension as mental patients with pain is worse than some chronic diseases such as atrial fibrillation and even some types of cancer ”.

With regard to its impact on the emotional level, 11.7% of patients with pain rated his emotional state as bad, whereas only 5% of patients without pain chose this option.

This study also refers to the direct relationship between chronic pain and the use of health resources, determining that people who suffer pain use more frequently than those who do not have them. In fact, the pain is a determining factor when visiting a doctor, the emergency room or hospital admission.

As primary care, pain is a factor almost double the visits to the doctor. 60.4% Of patients with pain used the first level of care five or more times in the past six months, compared to 34% of patients without pain ”, as points out Concha Dr. Perez, of the unit for University Hospital pain of the Princess and a member of the Committee of experts of CHANGE PAIN. The same applies to the rooms of emergency, where the number of visits by the Spanish who suffer pain is more than double. While 3.6% of the patients without pain visited er twice in the past six months, patients with pain attended this service 8.2%.

In response to hospital admissions, 9.5 per cent of patients with pain were admitted at least once during the past six months, while only 5.7 per cent of the patients without pain were hospitalized. In this way shows that people who suffer pain are hospitalized twice times that persons who do not suffer.

-Pain intense & use resources health

as intense pain, data collected in this book reveal that the visits to the doctor of those patients who suffer from increasing by 184% with regard to those who suffer no pain. If in addition this intense pain faces on a daily basis, this increase is 208,8%. As for stays in emergencies, its increase is 253,3% and % 373 if severe pain suffers daily. If we look at the data thrown on hospital admissions, it shows how the increase is 305,0%, and if it is severe pain is daily, the figure increases to 348,5%.

-The study’s other conclusions

publication Pain, Health related quality of life and healthcare resource utilization in Spain ” collects, at the same time two important conclusions about the pain. First it says that both the intensity and frequency are determinants of pain, and that this reality is not adequately considered. In addition, reflected that chronic pain is still in many cases infratratado, thereby increasing the suffering of the people with this disorder, as well as the use of health resources. For this reason the treatment of pain must be valued as a Fundamental human right and thus has been considered by our European authorities and endorsed by the UN.

a better understanding, diagnosis and treatment of pain could reduce the use of health resources and therefore a reduction in current expenditures, because early detection and adequate treatment could avoid that pain become chronic. In this sense, this study identified as a priority need a better assessment of pain and its actual health care costs. This could help to generate a strong reduction in the use of resources of the national health system short term.

– do know that pain …
… had a negative impact on the quality of life of patients?

-more than half of the people with pain intense (53%) recognize that they have been forced to reduce or limit their normal social activities

– do know that the? PAIN …
… is closely linked to the labour productivity low?

-39.4% of people who suffer severe pain are absent from their jobs, compared to 3.3% of the population who do not suffer pain.