A UOC study shows that factors such as job insecurity, concern for the future and fear of infection could have a negative influence on people with pain
The profile of the research participants is that of a woman between the ages of 30 and 59 who has been suffering from pain for about seven years.
ICTs are an opportunity to improve well-being with interventions at an affordable cost
The current pandemic has had significant consequences for people suffering from chronic pain. A study carried out by the eHealth Lab , the research group of the Health Sciences Studies and the eHealth Center of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC), has revealed that 70% of people with chronic pain have seen worsen the intensity of your pain, the frequency of the episodes and the interference of the pain in the activities of your daily life.
502 patients participated in the study, 88% of whom were women between 30 and 59 years of age, with chronic pain of long duration (an average of seven years).
Most of the participants (87.6%) had pain in more than one point , with the abdomen, lower back, and neck being the most frequent locations. The participants have answered online surveys, designed according to the IMMPACT ( Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials) methodology and the CPGQ ( Chronic Pain Grade Questionnaire ) has been used to compare the changes in pain perceived by the patients to from the beginning of the confinement.
The pandemic makes the pain worse
The results show that job insecurity , worries about the future, the number of people cohabiting in the same household, having someone close to you who has died from COVID-19, or fear of becoming infected may be related to worsening health . pain.
The study also shows that the pandemic has led to new pain triggers . If before stress and changes in weather were the most frequent, during confinement a large number of participants cited concern for the future , sleep problems , insecurity , negative thoughts , sadness , loneliness , sedentary lifestyle and the fear of getting infected as triggers.
New ways to deal with pain
The pandemic has also changed the way in which a significant part of patients manage their pain. More than half (54.5%) have modified how they cope : «The study has shown that, since the start of the state of alarm, more than half of the patients have used rest to deal with pain, and a similar percentage has increased the consumption of medication . Both things could be counterproductive ”, explains Rubén Nieto, professor and researcher in the UOC’s eHealth Lab group. However, the pandemic has also incorporated a new way to combat pain that is positive : 48.2% have included stretching as a new tool to get rid of pain.
ICTs, an opportunity for the future
“When there is a problem of chronic pain , it is important that people can learn to live with it , and that they can focus on achieving their life goals, whether or not they are in pain.
Eliminating pain completely is difficult, but learning to face it and live with it is possible.
Biopsychosocial interventions, in which pain is treated globally, can be useful”, explains Rubén Nieto, who is a specialist in understanding, evaluating and treating pain problems from a multidimensional point of view.
Unfortunately, most people do not have access to these interventions, since there are few centers that offer treatments from this perspective, and health professionals receive little specific training in pain management, according to Nieto.
But ICTs are emerging as a useful tool to bring this type of treatment closer to patients with chronic pain: «ICTs represent an opportunity to fight pain and improve well-being, since they can facilitate access to evidence-based interventions at an affordable cost .
Y pueden aumentar la autonomía y empoderar a la persona», explica Nieto, que centra una parte de su investigación en la aplicación de las nuevas tecnologías a problemas de salud. Para el investigador, hay que aprender de la experiencia de la pandemia en el uso de las TIC en la salud: «Las posibilidades son infinitas, desde la clásica teleconsulta, hasta soluciones basadas en inteligencia artificial, pero antes es imprescindible planificar y probarlas.»
Segunda parte del estudio
Liderado por el psicólogo e investigador Rubén Nieto, en esta investigación también han participado Beatriz Sora, también investigadora del grupo de investigación eHealth Lab y profesora del Departamento de Psicología de la Universitat Rovira i Virgili; la psicóloga clínica Rebeca Pardo, profesora del Departamento de Psicología de la Universidad Europea de Madrid y profesora asociada de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, y Juan Vicente Luciano Devis y Albert Feliu Soler, investigadores del Instituto de Investigación Sant Joan de Déu y profesionales del Parque Sanitario Sant Joan de Déu.
Para entender mejor la situación de las personas con dolor crónico en el entorno de pandemia, los investigadores han planificado una segunda parte del estudio, en la que se harán entrevistas en profundidad a personas con dolor para conocer de primera mano su situación. El equipo de Rubén Nieto busca personas para participar en el estudio. Si estáis interesados, podéis contactarle por correo electrónico en rnietol@uoc.edu.
Artículo relacionado
Nieto, R.; Pardo, R.; Sora, B.; Feliu-Soler, A.; Luciano, J. V. Impact of COVID-19 Lockdown Measures on Spanish People with Chronic Pain: An Online Study Survey. J. Clin. Med. 2020, 9, 3558. https://doi.org/10.3390/
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