Pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with actual or potential tissue damage, or described in terms of such damage. Many factors can affect pain and its severity. This study aims to explore how the COVID-19 affects chronic pain patients in terms of pain in general, intensity of pain, desire for pain treatment including follow up visits and pain medication refills as well as sleep.
Research question
What are the effects of the COVID-19 on chronic pain patients in terms of pain and pain
management?
Conceptual framework
The COVID-19 is a novel emerging infectious disease which has unimaginable and unbelievable
large scale distressing effects worldwide.
Up to date, there is no study which aims to evaluate the effects of the COVID-19 on chronic
pain patients in terms of pain and pain management. The previous survey in patients focused
on the worrisome of them for getting this infection and their confidence in their government
to control the COVID-19 situation in the US.
Materials and methods
This study is an in-depth interview. The in-depth interview is the principal method to
collect qualitative data by setting up open-ended questions beforehand. Patients who are
interviewed, can express their attitudes freely. This method is flexible which words,
sentences and questions can be adjusted to suit each interviewee (participant). The process
consists of active and intentional listening as well as ask on an in-depth basis. All
conversations during the in-depth interview are tape-recorded.
Other: No intervention (only interview)
Interview
Inclusion Criteria:
- Patients with chronic pain who have been under the health care service of the pain
clinic of Songklanagarind hospital.
- Chronic pain patients are patients with persistent pain for at least 3 months. Pain
can be from any etiologies.
- The expected number of interviwees for this in-depth interview is 30 or until the
gathered interview data are saturated.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Patients who are not willing to participate this study and have time for an in person
'in-depth interview'.
- Patients who are not influence in Thai language.
- Patients who are physically or mentally too ill to participate this study.
Sasikaan Nimmaanrat, MD
+66887907842
snimmaanrat@yahoo.com.au
Sasikaan Nimmaanrat, MD, Principal Investigator
Faculty of Medicine, Prince of Songkla University