The Long-Suffering British?- MORI Survey Reveals Almost One In Four Have Suffered Chronic Pain

A further 10% of those questioned have a partner who has had this condition and 15% have a close family member suffering in this way. Chronic pain, by definition, lasts for a minimum of three months and in many cases much longer, with the most commonly reported causes of this long-lasting pain being arthritis and back pain.¹

Yet despite these figures - and despite the reported success of specialist treatment - only 34% of those in chronic pain were referred to specialist pain services. Almost half of those referred reported a reduction in their pain; and almost a third reported an improvement in the quality of their life.1 The survey results highlight insufficient services for the management of chronic pain in the UK - confirmed by the fact that there are only one or two consultant sessions available for every 100,000 people2, despite the Royal College of Anaesthetists' recommendation of ten sessions per week for this number of people.³ In addition to this, only half of the 'specialist pain services' in the UK has a specialist pain nurse.²

Sixty four per cent of patients were prescribed medication for their chronic pain, yet 37% of these reported (potentially avoidable) side effects from this medication. Many of these patients may have taken nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), which are frequently prescribed for both arthritis and back pain. Whilst these drugs are effective, they are known to be associated with unpleasant side effects, ranging from minor stomach upsets to life-threatening problems, such as stomach perforations, ulcers and bleeds. These side effects are estimated to cause 2000 deaths a year in the UK.⁴

When questioned on the importance of five aspects of chronic pain services and treatment options, 71% of the adults believed that regular treatments that would improve quality of life were important, 48% believed that specialist pain services for people with chronic pain were important and 55% believed that equal access to pain services was important.

The survey also highlights that 50% of people with chronic pain had to take time off work because of their condition, which is 69% of all working people; 64% of these sufferers took a month or more off and 29% took over six months off. These findings clearly show that chronic pain has a significant impact on other government departments besides the Department of Health, in particular the Department for Work and Pensions. This was acknowledged by those surveyed, 40% of whom believed that responsibility for pain services should lie jointly with the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions.

Ian Semmons, chairman of the charity Action on Pain said, "This survey highlights the totally unacceptable number of the general public that suffer from chronic pain, yet remain largely ignored by the government. The general public clearly support the obvious need for a rapid and radical improvement in chronic pain services within the NHS. Why should we condemn these people to the potential of a life filled with chronic pain?

"The sheer number of days that are lost as a result of chronic pain provide a compelling economic case to improve pain services, which can help to get people back to work and to improve their quality of life. Action on Pain calls for the government to establish a National Framework for Chronic Pain funded jointly by the Department of Health and the Department for Work and Pensions."

Technical details

MORI interviewed a nationally representative quota sample of adults aged 15 years and over, across 193 sampling points in Great Britain from 20-25 September 2001. All interviews were carried out face-to-face, in home, by telephone using CAPI (Computer Assisted Personal Interviewing). Data were weighted to match the known population profile.

References

1. Chronic Pain and its Impact. Research Study conducted for Action on Pain, funded by Pharmacia Ltd and Pfizer Ltd. MORI Social Research Institute, September 2001.
2. Services for patients with pain. Report of a CSAG committee chaired by Professor Alastair Spence. Clinical Standards Advisory Group. March 2000.
3. Guidelines for the provision of anaesthetic services. The Royal College of Anaesthetists: London,1999.
4. Blower AL, Brooks A, Fenn GC, et al. Emergency admissions for upper gastrointestinal disease and their relation to NSAID use. Aliment Pharmacol Ther 1997; 11: 283-291.