Health status of patients with chronic pain attending a pain center.

This study aimed to determine whether the health status of patients with chronic pain improved after attending the pain center. The study used a pre-post survey design and was conducted at a pain center in Western Sydney. A convenience sample of patients with chronic pain who attended the pain center between December 1998 and February 2000 were involved in the study. The Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36 measured health status of the participants in eight general areas, including physical functioning, role limitations resulting from physical health problems, bodily pain, general health, vitality, social functioning, role limitations resulting from emotional problems, and mental health. A significant improvement in bodily pain was demonstrated by the total group. The other variables measured remained unaffected. The study sample was divided into subgroups based on gender, age, and presenting symptom. Within the subgroups, a significant improvement in bodily pain was shown by the male participants, patients younger than 65 years of age, and those who presented with different types of chronic pain other than back pain. This preliminary study was done to monitor the health status of people with chronic pain. A holistic approach to improve the health status of people with chronic pain seems to be necessary. Further studies should use a combination of generic outcome measures and disease-specific indicators to measure health outcomes.