Borukh Emmanuella, Nguyen Phuong, Yeon Sim Geum, Patel Jasal, Bloomfield Andrew, Koushik Sarang S, Raghavan Jagun, Viswanath Omar, Zacharoff Kevin, Slinchenkova Kateryna, Gritsenko Karina, Shaparin Naum
Yeshiva University, New York City, NY, USA.
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
Curr Pain Headache Rep. 2025 Jul 30;29(1):104. doi: 10.1007/s11916-025-01406-y.
Patients' expectations are important aspects to consider for improving patients' satisfaction and willingness to return for continued care. While expectation surveys are not novel in Pain Medicine, none specifically aim to improve satisfaction. This study evaluates whether administering an expectation survey during an initial pain clinic visit improves satisfaction with treatment plans and outcomes. We hypothesized that completing the survey could increase awareness and help align expectations and satisfaction.
This study was conducted at an outpatient multidisciplinary pain clinic at an urban academic hospital and 100 first-time, English speaking adult patients were recruited. Fifty patients completed a pre-visit questionnaire on pain and expectations (intervention group), while 50 did not (control group). A follow-up survey was completed six months later by 85% of participants to assess satisfaction level with pain treatment, meeting of goals and expectations, and overall clinic experience. No significant differences were found between intervention and control groups for pain treatment satisfaction (3.46 ± 1.31 vs. 3.50 ± 1.28, p = 0.48), goal achievement (3.76 ± 1.14 vs. 3.49 ± 1.20, p = 0.30), or overall experience (3.83 ± 1.20 vs. 3.72 ± 1.14, p = 0.67). Dissatisfaction stemmed from inadequate pain relief, lack of follow-up, and unmet expectations. The lack of statistical significance suggests that merely assessing expectations without patient education or provider engagement may be insufficient. Future studies could explore how patient education, communication, and treatment understanding can impact satisfaction to potentially improve pain management experiences.
患者期望是提高患者满意度和复诊意愿时需要考虑的重要方面。虽然期望调查在疼痛医学领域并不新鲜，但没有一项调查专门旨在提高满意度。本研究评估在初次疼痛门诊就诊时进行期望调查是否能提高对治疗方案和结果的满意度。我们假设完成该调查可以提高认识，并有助于使期望与满意度相一致。
本研究在一家城市学术医院的门诊多学科疼痛诊所进行，招募了100名首次就诊、说英语的成年患者。50名患者在就诊前完成了关于疼痛和期望的问卷（干预组），而50名患者未完成（对照组）。85%的参与者在六个月后完成了一项后续调查，以评估对疼痛治疗的满意度、目标和期望的达成情况以及整体诊所体验。干预组和对照组在疼痛治疗满意度（3.46±1.31对3.50±1.28，p=0.48）、目标达成情况（3.76±1.14对3.49±1.20，p=0.30）或整体体验（3.83±1.20对3.72±1.14，p=0.67）方面未发现显著差异。不满源于疼痛缓解不足、缺乏随访以及期望未得到满足。缺乏统计学意义表明，仅评估期望而不进行患者教育或让医疗服务提供者参与可能是不够的。未来的研究可以探讨患者教育、沟通和对治疗的理解如何影响满意度，以潜在地改善疼痛管理体验。
