Clinical register of patients attending a specialist geriatric pain service: analysis of admission data

Introduction: Ageing can be associated with an increasing burden of potentially painful pathology. Chronic pain impacts function and quality of life; therefore, it is important to include psychosocial factors when assessing patients. We report on a register of patient-reported outcome data for patients attending a specialist consultation service for older people experiencing chronic pain. We describe the clinical and demographic characteristics of the client base and examine differences between patients who do and do not report depression and severe pain. Methods: From July 2011 to October 2013 data were collected at admission using validated measures for pain severity and impact on function, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and coping strategies. Results: Many patients report depression (70 ), anxiety (27 ) and severe pain (50 ). Furthermore, people who report severe pain on average report higher: numbers of pain locations (p=0.024), pain interference (p