Pain has many different causes; it can be a symptom of a chronic disease or its own unique chronic health concern. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 50 million Americans (or roughly 20 percent of the adult population in the U.S.) experience chronic pain. Healthcare teams can best serve patients with both chronic conditions and chronic pain by remotely monitoring their health and proactively responding to issues. To monitor their patients, healthcare teams can use the patient engagement technology they currently use for appointment reminders to send patients invitations to complete online health monitoring surveys. Then, as patients respond, providers can use the information they capture to track health markers and determine when interventions are required.
Remote monitoring not only helps healthcare providers reduce the likelihood of patients in pain heading to the emergency department for care, it provides patients with the between-visit support they desperately want. A West survey revealed that patients know they need help managing pain and chronic conditions, and they are eager to receive between-visit support from healthcare providers. West’s survey, which garnered responses from 1,036 adults and 317 healthcare providers in the U.S., found that nearly eight in ten patients with chronic conditions (79 percent) are interested in participating in remote health monitoring surveys. More specifically, patients with CHF (91 percent), obesity (84 percent), diabetes (82 percent), high cholesterol (76 percent) and hypertension (76 percent) are interested in taking remote health monitoring surveys from their healthcare providers.
According to West’s survey, just 7 percent of healthcare providers say they use online surveys or check-ins to regularly monitor how well pain and other conditions are being managed. Healthcare teams clearly have opportunities to better use surveys to identify issues related to pain and respond with appropriate interventions. Here are a few examples of simple ways healthcare teams can leverage surveys to make pain management more proactive.
Ask chronic patients about their symptoms and pain. Providers can ask survey questions, like the following, to identify if patients are experiencing pain, and if so, whether it is severe.
Which best describes your pain experience over the past 48 hours?
I have not had pain.
I have had minimal pain.
I have had average pain.
I have had a high level of pain.
I have had debilitating pain.
If you are currently experiencing pain, rate your pain on a scale from 1 to 10. (10 = the worst pain imaginable)
If patients’ survey responses indicate that they have unmanaged or severe pain, they should be considered a high risk for going to the ER for treatment. Following-up with these patients immediately is recommended.
