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We have utilised digital technology to communicate with people who have pain. We have adapted quickly and efficiently in primary care.

by Asim Suleman | May 13, 2020 | in Pain Management

Face to face consultations have ceased. These can prove challenging with some people who have pain.  However, service users have been largely accepting of video / telephone consultations.  I do feel that once restrictions have been lifted, there will be an expectation to resume 'business as normal.' The challenge is how we balance the expectation of people, which has slowly ballooned over the years, and what works most efficiently and effectively for the NHS.

What is needed to sustain the change?

There needs to be a tempering of expectation of what we can realistically deliver in pain management.  There has to be a bigger emphasis on behaviour change from people at all ages to self-care and self-management MSK / Pain conditions. There needs to be a strategy in place via Public health and clinicians on how we empower the population to look after themselves better.

What is your region?

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edited on Jul 13, 2020 by Kyle Beacham
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chris mercer May 13, 2020

Thanks for posting- it will be really interesting to see what expectations are like post COVID and how we can manage these as a system

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sasha karakusevic May 14, 2020

Thanks for submitting Asim. Have you used any specific technology? Any tips on what is working for you and your patients in implementing the change?

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Asim Suleman May 14, 2020

Hi Sasha,
We have utilised AccuRx programme. The speed of change and adaptation for primary care and patients has been truly breath-taking. From a #Pain point of view, there are challenges. I think moving forward patients may still require face to face initial contact. Non verbal clues are really important for clinicians and patients alike. Video and telephone consults for follow up appointments has to be the way forward. Need to be mindful of 'vulnerable' groups, elderly, frail, non IT literate, BAME and non English speaking patient cohorts. Service provision needs to be equal for all.

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Diarmaid Ferguson May 16, 2020

Hi Asim , thanks for posting , I think all professionals sitting with people in pain would echo your sentiments.
In recent discusiion with our pain team, they felt video and telephone consultation had some added benefits as the additional pressures of attending clinic (commuting, parking, waiting etc) were reduced allowing more patient energy to discuss their issues and concerns from their home environment.
How do you feel the paradigm shift in society (and professionals) could be achieved?

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Asim Suleman May 16, 2020

Hi Diarmaid, if there are benefits for both society and professionals, then I feel the shift would be easily achieved. In my opinion, if society can feel and experience the advantages and HCPs have a robust evidence that the shift is not harmful in the long term, then the shift will happen smoothly. Feedback from people with pain, is that they would welcome Telemedicine if it helped with wait times and improved access.
Support groups for people with pain are also likely to benefit from using technology. We should also explore delivering PMPs via various platforms. Locally recorded PMPs which are always available online could help flare-ups and exacerbations of pain.

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Ruth Sephton May 30, 2020

Hi Asim Great post which we really need to address in the long term, however challenging. I agree with Chris, it will be interesting to see how expectations and behaviours change post covid

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Greta McLachlan Jun 9, 2020

Status labels added: Choice, Investment In Technology, Patient Selection, Technology (Software/ Apps), Telephone Advice, Telephone Consulting, Video Consulting, Virtual Consulting, Horizon 1

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Ben Wilkins Jun 9, 2020

Really good point Asim, fully agree that there is power in peer-support and self-support and a need for viable tools and systems so people can peruse this. Offering a link to a web-page resource with a pdf 'tool kit' doesn't always provide an appealing offer, it may need to be something more tangible, more interactive. But it's more than just a having the 'tool', it's a mindset shift in patients and clinicians, but finding some tools/options/ideas/tech and leading with them to change minds is a good steps forwards.

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Louise Trewern Jun 10, 2020

Totally agree with this! There needs to be greater input regarding self management, & co-production of online PMP’s with patients with lived experience, this would help! Now is the time to turn the tide of unreasonable expectations to more realistic ones!

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Greta McLachlan Jun 16, 2020

The idea has been progressed to the next milestone.

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Kyle Beacham Jul 13, 2020

Status labels removed: Choice, Investment In Technology, Patient Selection, Technology (Software/ Apps), Telephone Advice, Telephone Consulting, Video Consulting, Virtual Consulting

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