Department of Anaesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Division of Psychosomatic Medicine, Department of Neurology, Inselspital, Bern University Hospital, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Pain Pract. 2021 Nov;21(8):934-942. doi: 10.1111/papr.13071. Epub 2021 Sep 14.
Recent recommendations for the treatment of chronic pain patients during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic suggest using telemedicine instead of in-person consultations. Knowing whether patients with chronic pain are receptive to the use of telemedicine during a pandemic might improve tailored care.
The aims of the present study were to assess patients' acceptance of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic in Switzerland and to examine the correlation of acceptance with pain intensity and anxiousness.
An anonymous survey was conducted from March 31, 2020, to July 30, 2020, with 61 patients referred to the Pain Center at the Bern University Hospital Inselspital in Bern, Switzerland. Collected data were analyzed descriptively, and correlations were calculated between acceptance of telemedicine and mean levels of current pain, psychological distress, and fear of COVID-19.
Our main finding was an average level of acceptance of telemedicine, with a mean of 6.25 on a scale from 0 (not at all) to 10 (completely), with substantial variability and range (SD = 3.56). The acceptance of telemedicine correlated negatively with current mean pain level (r = -0.44), worries (r = -0.42), and fear of COVID-19 (r = -0.4), as well as positively with the general condition (r = 0.46).
Using telemedicine for chronic pain treatment during the COVID-19 crisis was accepted to a sufficient degree by a considerable proportion of patients. However, the higher the mean levels of pain and anxiousness, the lower the acceptance, indicating that these severely burdened patients may suffer most from treatment restrictions. For this subgroup, telemedicine might not suffice and in-person visits should be considered.
针对 2019 年冠状病毒病（COVID-19）大流行期间慢性疼痛患者的治疗建议，推荐使用远程医疗代替面对面咨询。了解慢性疼痛患者在大流行期间是否接受远程医疗，可能有助于提供更有针对性的护理。
本研究旨在评估瑞士 COVID-19 大流行期间慢性疼痛患者对远程医疗的接受程度，并考察其与疼痛强度和焦虑程度的相关性。
2020 年 3 月 31 日至 7 月 30 日，对瑞士伯尔尼大学医院 Inselspital 疼痛中心的 61 名患者进行了匿名调查。对收集的数据进行描述性分析，并计算了对远程医疗的接受程度与当前疼痛平均值、心理困扰和对 COVID-19 的恐惧之间的相关性。
我们的主要发现是对远程医疗的平均接受程度为 6.25（范围为 0 至 10，完全不接受至完全接受），具有较大的变异性和范围（SD=3.56）。对远程医疗的接受程度与当前平均疼痛水平（r=-0.44）、担忧（r=-0.42）和对 COVID-19 的恐惧（r=-0.4）呈负相关，与总体状况（r=0.46）呈正相关。
在 COVID-19 危机期间，相当一部分慢性疼痛患者对使用远程医疗治疗的接受程度是足够的。然而，疼痛和焦虑程度越高，接受程度越低，这表明这些负担过重的患者可能会因治疗限制而受到最大的影响。对于这一亚组患者，远程医疗可能不够，应考虑亲自就诊。
