Older Patient Satisfaction with Chronic Pain Management in the National Geriatric Hospital in Vietnam

• Main Authors: Vu HTT, Mai HT, Nguyen HTT, Nguyen TTH, Nguyen TX, Nguyen TN, Pham T, Nguyen LTM, Vu GT, Pham HQ, Phan HT, Tran BX, Latkin CA, Ho CSH, Ho RCM, Nguyen AT
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dove Medical Press 2020-10-01
• Series: Patient Preference and Adherence
• Subjects: chronic pain; elderly; pain management; satisfaction; vietnam
• Online Access: https://www.dovepress.com/older-patient-satisfaction-with-chronic-pain-management-in-the-nationa-peer-reviewed-article-PPA

Huyen Thi Thanh Vu,1,2 Hue Thi Mai,3 Huong Thi Thu Nguyen,1,2 Thu Thi Hoai Nguyen,1,2 Thanh Xuan Nguyen,1,2,4 Tam Ngoc Nguyen,1,2 Thang Pham,1,2 Lan Thi Mai Nguyen,1 Giang Thu Vu,5 Hai Quang Pham,6,7 Hai Thanh Phan,6,7 Bach Xuan Tran,3,8 Carl A Latkin,8 Cyrus SH Ho,9 Roger CM Ho,6,10,11 Anh Trung Nguyen1,2 1Department of Geriatrics, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 2Scientific Research Department, National Geriatric Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam; 3Institute for Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Hanoi Medical University, Hanoi, Vietnam; 4Dinh Tien Hoang Institute of Medicine, Hanoi, Vietnam; 5Center of Excellence in Evidence-Based Medicine, Nguyen Tat Thanh University, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam; 6Institute for Global Health Innovations, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam; 7Faculty of Medicine, Duy Tan University, Da Nang, Vietnam; 8Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA; 9Department of Psychological Medicine, National University Hospital, Singapore, Singapore; 10Department of Psychological Medicine, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore; 11Institute for Health Innovation and Technology (iHealthtech), National University of Singapore, Singapore, SingaporeCorrespondence: Huong Thi Thu NguyenScientific Research Department, National Geriatric Hospital, 1A Phuong Mai - Dong Da, Hanoi 100000, VietnamTel [phone]Email [e-mail]: The high prevalence of chronic pain and difficulties in pain management in older people are challenging for healthcare providers globally. Patient satisfaction regarding pain management is one of the measures to assess efficacy of pain control as well as healthcare services. Thus, our study aimed to evaluate the older patients’ satisfaction with pain management and its associated factors in Vietnam.Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at National Geriatric Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam from May to October 2018. Face-to-face interviews were conducted on 495 older patients with chronic pain by using a structured questionnaire. The Pain Treatment Satisfaction Scale (PTSS) was used to assess the level of satisfaction with pain management. A Tobit regression model was used to estimate factors associated with satisfaction toward pain management.Results: The mean total satisfaction score was 1.77 (SD= 0.22). Older patients were most satisfied with the aspect of side effects of pain relief medication (mean=0.66, SD=0.56). On the contrary, they were most dissatisfied with information provided about pain and its treatment and efficacy of pain relief medication. Outpatients were less satisfied with information provided, the impact of current medication and pain management in general compared to inpatients. The regression model showed that patients with severe pain tended to be more dissatisfied with pain management than those with no pain.Conclusion: This study indicated that the general satisfaction with chronic pain management in older patients was quite good especially in the aspect of pain medication’s side effects. However, dissatisfactory factors remained, including information provided about pain and efficacy of current pain medication. Intensive training regarding pain in geriatric care, health education communication for older people, and improved quality of medical services should be performed to ensure the quality of pain management, especially in the older population.Keywords: chronic pain, elderly, pain management, satisfaction, Vietnam