Titre :
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The epidemiology of chronic pain in the community. (1999)
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Auteurs :
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Alison ELLIOTT ;
Alastair CHAMBERS ;
Penny KAY ;
Blair Smith ;
Cairns Smith
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Type de document :
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Article
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Dans :
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Lancet (The) (vol. 354, n° 9186, 1999/10/09)
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Pagination :
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1248-1252
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Langues:
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Anglais
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Mots-clés :
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Epidémiologie
;
Douleur
;
Communauté
;
Evaluation
;
Enquête
;
Maladie chronique
;
Soins
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Résumé :
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Chronic pain is recognized as an important problem in the community but our understanding of the epidemiology of chronic pain remains limited. We undertook a study designed to quantify and describe the prevalence and distribution of chronic pain in the community. Methods. A random sample of 5036 patients, aged 25 and over was drawn from 29 general practices in the Grampian region of the UK and surveyed by a postal self-completion questionnaire. The questionnaire included case-screening questions, a question on the cause of the pain, the chronic pain grade questionnaire, the level of expressed needs questionnaire and sociodemographic questions. Findings : 3605 questionnaires were returned completed. 1817 (50.4%) of patients self reported chronic pain, equivalent to 46.5% of the general population. 576 reported back pain and 570 reported arthritis ; these were the most common complaints and accounted for a third of all complaints. (...) Interpretation : Chronic pain is a major problem in the community and certain groups within the population are more likely to have chronic pain. A detailed understanding of the epidemiology of chronic pain is essential for efficient management of chronic pain in primary care.
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