| Popis: |
Aims: The number of patients with chronic pain is increasing every year, and effective management of it is one of the prime concerns of doctors across the world. But this demands appropriate awareness, knowledge, and attitude regarding pain and specialized clinics where pain can be dealt with, using the most effective approaches. The latter vividly points at “Pain Clinics,” which form the basis of our study. Considering the Indian scenario, patients prefer visiting either their family physicians or general practitioners (GPs) to be alleviated of their pain, as they essentially believe in the suggestions of these doctors. Materials and Methods: A survey of 170 GPs was conducted in Nagpur, India, to know about their knowledge, awareness, and attitude toward pain clinics through a structured questionnaire. Results: About 72% of the GPs had awareness about pain clinics, but only 32% actually referred patients to pain clinics. Sixty percent of the GPs referred patients to other specialists, mostly orthopedic surgeons. Forty percent of the GPs were aware of few techniques of pain relief; however, 65% answered negatively about techniques at pain clinics. GPs showed interest in knowing more about such clinics (88.2%). Conclusions: Majority of the GPs in Nagpur are aware of the pain clinics but are reluctant to refer patients to pain clinics. This may be due to limited knowledge about pain physicians and procedures performed at pain clinics and their efficacy and safety. |
