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| Power Over Pain |
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Floridians are substantially more likely to suffer from chronic or recurrent pain than the national average according to the first ever survey to measure the impact of pain in the state. In Florida, 75 percent of respondents said they suffer pain on at least a monthly basis compared to 57 percent of Americans who responded similarly in a recently released national survey.
In total, the Florida Pain Survey found that four out of five Florida households had a member who experienced at least monthly pain and more than a third of the sufferers described their pain as moderate to severe. Significantly, of those who say they personally experience pain, 65 percent say it causes them to feel anxious, irritable or depressed and 42 percent say it interferes with their ability to work and be productive.
University of South Florida professor Susan MacManus, who directed the study, said the greater percentage of Floridian pain sufferers could be a result of the state’s sizeable senior population. In fact, the severity of pain reported by respondents increased with age.
However, MacManus cautioned, the survey found that individuals reporting chronic or recurrent pain were distributed across all age groups, with respondents between 30 and 49 years of age representing the largest percentage of sufferers.
“Incidents of pain sufferers were reported across all demographics,” MacManus said. “Young and old, rich and poor and across every region of the state, the survey demonstrates that sometimes debilitating pain does not discriminate.”
The Florida Pain Survey, commissioned by the Florida Pain Initiative (FPI), also suggests considerable numbers of pain sufferers are not having their ailment effectively treated. One in five pain sufferers has not seen a physician and among all Floridians a majority agree that people do not seek treatment because they believe the pain will go away by itself, they are embarrassed and don’t want to seem like they are complaining, or they don’t know where to go for help.
“The survey confirms that Florida has a pain epidemic,” says Jennifer Strickland, president of FPI and a Clinical Pharmacist and Pain Specialist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. “It also underscores the fact that the undertreatment of pain has serious physiological, psychological and social consequences for sufferers.”
FPI released the findings of the study to highlight their “Power Over Pain” campaign, which coincides with the designation of September as “Pain Awareness Month.” An organization consisting of a wide range of healthcare professionals, FPI launched the statewide grassroots campaign to publicize the epidemic of undertreated pain as a major public health issue and make effective pain management a healthcare priority at the state and local levels.
Among other findings, sufferers reported pain:
- Prevents them from doing some of the things they once enjoyed (62 percent)
- Causes them to lose sleep (61 percent)
- Sometimes leaves them feeling hopeless and/or alone (25 percent)
- Interferes with their sexual relations (25 percent)
- Interferes with their ability to do everyday things (23 percent)
- Has negatively affected their relationships with loved ones and friends (20 percent)
Pain not only alters the life of a sufferer, but it affects entire families. As part of the survey, more than three-quarters of Floridians interviewed with a pain sufferer in the family said the sufferer becomes more irritable and that it hurts relationships with family members. More than half of those same respondents said that pain has altered the sufferer’s outlook on life and they are not as positive about things as they once were.
The good news is that most pain can be relieved through proper medications and other treatments, which is an important message in FPI’s efforts, according to Strickland.
After a car accident in 1998, Wendy Flanagan began experiencing insufferable pain that led her to quit her job and even lose her home. She visited countless physicians and therapists before finding a pain specialist who diagnosed her with a chronic pain disorder called reflex sympathetic dystrophy.
With that diagnosis, Flanagan, 37, eventually found a relaxation program developed at the University of Massachusetts that helps her control her pain. Now she teaches the program to others in her hometown of Gainesville.
“People who suffer in pain have to find the right combination of treatments – therapies, practices and medications – that work for you as an individual,” she says.
On the other hand, she says, there are a number of barriers to overcome that prevent effective pain treatment, including inadequate training in pain management by healthcare professionals and concerns over the appropriate use of effective pain medications.
“As the survey showed, there is also a stigma associated with pain,” Strickland explains. “Many people with pain are fearful or embarrassed to let their families, friends and even their physicians know they are in pain because they don’t want to appear weak or believe pain is just something you need to accept.”
The Florida Pain Survey was underwritten by the American Pain Foundation (APF) and the American Alliance for Cancer Pain Initiatives (AACPI). APF and AACPI are national partners in the “Power Over Pain” campaign, a statewide project of the Florida Pain Initiative in collaboration with the Florida Division of the American Cancer Society.
The telephone survey was conducted by Susan Schuler and Associates, Inc., of Tampa. A total of 735 Florida households were randomly selected between August 12 - 24, 2003. The national figures were reported in a Research America! survey released in early September.
Additional Resources
The American Cancer Society understands that pain management is an important issue for those fighting cancer. Cancer patients should not accept pain as a normal burden of having cancer. There are many kinds of medicines, methods for receiving medicine and non-medical ways to relieve pain.
We are committed to reducing the burden of pain and have partnered with the Florida Pain Initiative to advocate for awareness of pain management issues. This interdisciplinary group of healthcare professionals includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, ARNPs and physician assistants who are dedicated to improving pain management throughout Florida. The Florida Pain Initiative:
- Increases community awareness to help Floridians achieve optimal Pain Management.
- Develops and distributes education material and information to Health Care Professionals throughout the state of Florida.
- Advocates improving Pain Management through legislative and regulatory organizations.
For more information and to learn about our Power Over Pain Program or the Florida Pain Initiative, call 813-253-0541, ext.444 or visit www.floridapain.org.
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