Telemedicine for chronic pain treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Do pain intensity and anxiousness correlate with patient acceptance?

Harnik, Michael Alexander; Blättler, Larissa; Limacher, Andreas; Reisig, Florian; grosse Holtforth, Martin; Streitberger, Konrad (2021). Telemedicine for chronic pain treatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: Do pain intensity and anxiousness correlate with patient acceptance? Pain practice, 21(8), pp. 934-942. Wiley 10.1111/papr.13071

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INTRODUCTION

Recent recommendations for the treatment of chronic pain patients during the COVID-19 pandemic suggest using telemedicine instead of in-person consultations. Knowing whether chronic pain patients are receptive to the use of telemedicine during a pandemic might improve tailored care.

OBJECTIVE

The aims of the present study were to assess patients' acceptance of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland and to examine the correlation of acceptance with pain intensity and anxiousness.

METHODS

An anonymous survey was conducted from 31/03/2020 to 30/07/2020 with 61 patients referred to the Pain Center at the Bern University Hospital Inselspital in Bern, Switzerland. Collected data was analyzed descriptively, and correlations were calculated between acceptance of telemedicine and mean levels of current pain, psychological distress, and fear of COVID-19.

RESULTS

Our main finding was an average level of acceptance of telemedicine, with a mean of 6.25 on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (completely), with substantial variability and range (SD=3.56). The acceptance of telemedicine correlated negatively with current mean pain level (r=-0.44), worries (r=-0.42), and fear of COVID-19 (r=-0.4), as well as positively with the general condition (r=0.46).

CONCLUSIONS

Using telemedicine for chronic pain treatment during the COVID-19 crisis was accepted to a sufficient degree by a considerable proportion of patients. However, the higher the mean levels of pain and anxiousness, the lower the acceptance, indicating that these severely burdened patients may suffer most from treatment restrictions. For this subgroup, telemedicine might not suffice and in-person visits should be considered.

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