Background: Chronic pain symptoms are distressing conditions that necessitate regular visits
to pain therapists and may require interventions, however, the COVID-19 pandemic has caused
patients and their therapists to limit both visits and interventions with the transition to telehealth,
with little or no preparation or training. This has resulted in the extensive use of over-the counter
analgesia and corticosteroids.
Objectives: Our study aimed to evaluate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the rates of
counseling and interventional pain management therapies (IPMT), and determine the effects of
implementing an infection control program (ICP) and mandating personal protective equipment
(PPE) on these rates.
Study Design: Prospective multicenter survey, based on an online self-assessed questionnaire.
Setting: Departments of Anesthesia, Pain, Intensive Care Unit, Physical Medicine, Rheumatology,
and Rehabilitation at Egyptian University hospitals.
Methods: A self-assessed questionnaire was uploaded on Google forms and links were sent to
enrolled therapists with an identification number to allow self-administration and privacy. Feedback
was analyzed by 2 authors who were blinded to the identity of the responders.
Results: A total of 57.9% of responders increased their patients’ contact by phone and video
conference. Within 1-4 months after the outbreak began, 59% stopped in-person contact and
38.2% stopped their IPM practice. Prescriptions of analgesics and oral steroids increased by about
50%. The majority of responders complained of a shortage of ventilation appliances in their
workplaces. About 50% of them always use ICP, 85% use surgical masks, 61% use gloves, and
45% wear gowns when meeting with patients. After the application of PPE, 45.5% of responders
increased their consultation rate and 40% increased their rate of IPMT.
Limitations: This study is limited to being a national study, and so lacked comparative data.
Conclusion: The COVID-19 outbreak seriously affected the rates of in-person consultations
and IPMT for patients with chronic pain and increased the rates of consumption of analgesia
and oral steroids. Most responders reported a shortage of PPE especially ventilation appliances
in workplaces. A high percentage of responders lack interest in ICP and PPE, despite the positive
effects of its application on consultation and IPMT rates. |
