AB221. 244. Assessment of patient concerns prior to pain relief interventions

Background: A key mission of any pain relief intervention is to discover the patient expectations of the intervention. Anything that improves the quality of the consultation has the potential to improve patient outcomes. Identification of the patient’s agenda can be elicited by facilitating the patient in communicating it. Pain interventions are no exception. Studies have shown that patient agenda forms allow time for patients to put their thoughts and concerns together for a more direct consultation. The objective of this study was to ascertain the patient’s agenda prior to pain relief interventions.

Methods: Following local ethical approval from University Hospital Limerick, written informed consent was obtained. The study design was a prospective study utilising a structured questionnaire—Agenda Form. It was given to 110 adult chronic pain patients. They were recruited consecutively while attending for a scheduled pain relief procedure. Patients were asked to fill in the questionnaire while occupying a day-case bed, specifically exploring concerns that the patient may have prior to the pain relief procedure. Nurses provided instructions. Two open-ended questions and one closed question were used. Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel.

Results: Findings showed 60% were female. Patients reported uncertainty around their diagnosis and the nature of their pain most commonly, along with the desire for further information regarding their planned procedure. Doctors found that the agenda forms facilitated the consultations.

Conclusions: The study provides a deeper understanding of the patients concerns prior to pain relief procedures.

Keywords: Concerns; assessment; injection