Year: 2017
Type: dissertation
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Chronic pain is a common problem, affecting 1 in 5 Canadians. Despite this, the burden of chronic pain has not been fully investigated in Canada. This research sought to characterize the burden of chronic pain in Ontario, Canada in three studies. Individuals with and without chronic pain who were identified through the Canadian Community Health Survey (CCHS) were matched using propensity score methods on demographic and comorbidity variables using linked healthcare administrative data. The first study estimated the annual incremental cost to manage chronic pain at $1,742 per person, 51% more than the control group. This translated into $2.8 billion (reference year 2014), or 5% of the Ontario publicly funded health budget. The second study estimated health utilities from the CCHS as a measure of health-related quality of life in people with chronic pain. Utilities are anchored by 0 (dead) and 1 (perfect health), with a difference of 0.03 being clinically meaningful. The mean utility for people with chronic pain was estimated at 0.59 compared to 0.90 for those without. These utilities were lower than those seen with most other chronic diseases including heart disease, diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The third study described mortality by following people until December 2013. There were numerically more deaths in the chronic pain group (2,063 versus 1,722) and a higher death rate for chronic pain as measured by the Kaplan Meier product limit estimator (p
Source: TSpace (University of Toronto)
Author: Mary‐Ellen Hogan
Language: English
Field: Health Professions
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2921208218