Chronic Pain in the Emergency Department: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Cross-Sectional Study Examining Patient Characteristics and Reasons for Presentations

Table 2

(a) Primary pain problem. (b) Healthcare usage data.

(a)

		%
Location
Lower back	18	31.0
Abdomen	11	19.0
Joint pain	8	13.8
Headache/migraine	7	12.1
Leg	5	8.6
Pelvic/genital	4	6.9
Chest	3	5.2
Neck	2	3.4
Use of any opioid	42	72.4
Strong opioids (oxycodone, morphine, hydromorphone, etc.).	32	55.2
Weak opioids (tramadol and codeine)	24	41.4

Please note that some participants were on more than one medication.

(b)

Access to PCP (% with a family physician)	84.5%
Number of PCP visits for pain in 12 months prior to study visit (mean, SD)	8.1 (10.2)
Median (Q1–Q3)	4 (1–12)
Range	0–50
Number of visits to the ED 12 months prior to study visit (mean, SD)	5.4 (10.0)
Median (Q1–Q3)	1 (0–4)
Range	0–55
Number of admissions for pain in the past 12 months prior to study visit (mean, SD)	2.9 (4.7)
Median (Q1–Q3)	1 (1–3)
Range	1–20
Hospitalization days for pain in the past 12 months prior to study (mean, SD)	14.9 (25.8)
Median (Q1–Q3)	8 (5–13)
Range	2–105

Note. PCP: primary care physician; ED: emergency department.