Pain is common, and inadequately managed pain is associated with many adverse consequences that can affect patients, their families, and society as a whole and can be broadly categorized as physiological, psychosocial (quality of life), and financial.1
Acute tissue injury triggers physiological “stress” responses intended to protect the body.
Yet these responses can have adverse effects if allowed to persist unchecked.
Another key adverse effect of poorly controlled acute pain is progression to chronic pain, in fact some chronic neuropathic pain results, in part, from a lack of aggressive pain management and/or early rehabilitation following surgery.1
Inadequate control of pain interferes with the pain sufferer’s ability to carry out activities of daily living (e.g., work, relationships, hobbies).
It also has adverse psychological consequences.
Patients with inadequately managed pain may experience anxiety, fear, anger, depression, or cognitive dysfunction, and family members report varying levels of helplessness, frustration, and “heartbreak”.
These consequences are especially likely to occur in patients with chronic pain.1
Medical complications associated with inadequately controlled acute pain can increase length of stay, rehospitalization rates, and outpatient visits.
Pain is also costly in terms of lost productivity and income.
About 25% of the population in industrialized nations suffers from chronic pain of sufficient severity that they miss days of work.
Individuals with chronic pain often face long-term or permanent unemployment or underemployment.1
All these consequences are costly, and highlight the need to adequately treat acute pain, not only to avoid it becoming chronic, but also because it can lead to negative psychological consequences for the sufferer as well as being costly for society as a whole.1
