Background & Aims
Chronic pain (CP) treatment is complex, involving a multidisciplinary approach and being one of the main challenges of practice, especially in Primary Health Care (PHC).
In Portugal, chronic pain prevalence in adult population is approximately 37%, with an average duration of 10 years, affects the most vulnerable subgroups and is one of the most frequent reasons for medical consultations in PHC.
Socioeconomic consequences are equivalent to those caused by cardiovascular or oncological diseases and there is an increase in the use of health services and treatment expenses, as well a loss of performance due to absenteeism from work.
Only 53% of general practitioners/family doctors feel confident in the management of CP in Europe and around 40% of patients with CP are considered inadequately treated.
The aim of this study is to qualitatively evaluate portuguese General Practitioners’ experiences, barriers, and enablers on the management CP due to knee osteoarthritis.
Methods
Study design: by focus groups.
Participants: portuguese GPs and GP trainees working in the NHS and fluent in Portuguese.
Doctors with other specialties and/or communication difficulties in portuguese will be excluded.
A convenience sample will be obtained (from 3 to 6 groups of 6 to 8 physicians), depending on the saturation of the data obtained.
Collaborators – organizers of team meetings, training group meetings and scientific meetings – will be asked to identify potential participants and request their consent for further contact by the research team.
Participating GPs will receive a document that clarifies purpose and nature of the study and ethical components (data protection and privacy). Informed consent will be obtained. Recording of the focus groups will be used. A session guide with open-ended questions will be used.
Results
This is a study protocol. We still have no results in this study.
Conclusions
This study responds to the most current agenda of the scientific community and decision-making bodies in health management. More than patient centered, it will focus on Person centered medicine, once it considers GPs points of view.
The various studies published in recent years show that pharmacological treatment is not the only one to consider and does not always have good results when considered by itself. Moreover, some of the recommended treatments could be included in the group of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs).
Thus, being scientifically well-founded, the strategies to be defined will be able to reduce not only the pharmacological treatment, but also the number of consultations and increase the functionality and quality of life of patients, making them more satisfied and contributing in an active and positive way in the society.
References
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Presenting Author
Catarina Matias
Poster Authors
Catarina Matias
MD
Faculty of Medicine of Coimbra University; ULS de Coimbra
Lead Author
Topics
- Specific Pain Conditions/Pain in Specific Populations: Arthritis and Other Joint Pains