Citation

Pakniyat-Jahromi S, Sher L. Eur. Arch. Psychiatry Clin. Neurosci. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s00406-021-01247-x

PMID

33666693

Abstract

Pain is a frequent symptom in hospitalised patients and outpatients. Chronic pain is reported to be the most common complaint in primary care setting, affecting more than 100 million people in the USA with an annual cost greater than $635 billion [1]. Many patients are suffering from pain because of different illnesses including but not limited to cancer, musculoskeletal pain conditions (i.e., fibromyalgia, back pain), and migraine. Social isolation and other COVID-19-related issues may decrease the quality of life in patients with chronic pain [2]. A great proportion of chronic pain management services (CPMS) are generally considered non-urgent in this era, and hospital resources and professionals employed in CPMS are used to treat patients in the COVID-19 units and emergency rooms [3]. Clinics are less accessible and waiting times are prolonged.

Pain management is usually complicated and difficult as there is no one size fit for all and every patient should be managed differently. Many patients are not being sufficiently treated because of different reasons. Some are not fully evaluated...

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; COVID-19; Chronic pain; Pandemic era