Patients suffering benign chronic pain becoming acute: ER approach

Abstract

Due to prescribing errors, to wrong therapeutic choice, to inadequate patient education, to errors in patients adherence to therapy, to social problems, to well known comorbidity between chronic pain and depression, a high number of patients, affected by chronic pain becoming acute, is in charge of the Emergency Department. But the Emergency Department is often the wrong place where to take care of such a complex condition. We present the results of a study conducted in our Emergency Department with the contribute of the Mental Health Department, concerning the evaluation of the diagnostic and therapeutic iter, the evolution of the symptoms, the customer satisfaction and the depression comorbidity, among the patients afferent to the Emergency Department because of a chronic non malignant pain becoming acute. The results of the study suggest the necessity of a more specific diagnostic and therapeutic approach to these patients, in both Emergency Hospital Department and outpatients settings.