First EFIC® Symposium Societal Impact of Pain - SIP

94
Giustino Varrassi
Prof. Giustino Varrassi
President EFIC
Director at the Department of Anaesthesiology
Post-Grad, University of L’Aquila, Medical School
Director at the Department of Anaesthesiology,
University of L’Aquila, Medical School
Professor and Chairman of Anaesthesiology,
Intensive Care and Pain Centre Department at
ASL 04 of L’Aquila
President of Clinics Council
Pain is certainly one of the most disturbing diseases
affecting mankind at all ages. It is extremely
frequent after 65 years of age, when
its prevalence is around 50%. Many of the
Health Care Systems (HCS) around the world,
especially in highly industrialized countries, are
overwhelmed by the high incidence of costs
due to chronic pain.
At the moment, awareness is increasing more
and more and more that chronic pain represents
a social burden. It would be enough to
observe the data from the literature related
to the extremely high incidence of low-back
pain, a very invalidating disease, especially when
people are still expected to have a normal working
life. It is also interesting to observe that patients
with chronic pain lose working days just
because of pain.
Notwithstanding all this, the totality of the HCS
does not recognize pain with the dignity it
should deserve, as a disease in its own right.
Because of this, almost all the syndromes with
pain are not adequately represented in medical
documentation systems like diagnosis-related
groups (DRG). Hence, often pain is not adequately
represented in the reimbursement system.
This is certainly one of the most important
reasons why chronic pain, by many stakeholders
involved, is regarded as a social burden.
Besides that, and especially after the promulgation
of a very advanced law in Italy, recognizing
for all the citizens the right to be cured for
their pain by the national HCS for free, pain
care seems to be a valid top indicator for the
quality of the HCS.
With this in mind, EFIC has decided to organize
a scientific symposium where policy makers,
administrators and payers of the health systems
may freely and fruitfully discuss such an
important issue. The symposium is structured
in order to give every participant some initial
common scientific insight to work on. After the
initial part, participants are invited to take part
in one of the workshops, where they can contribute
with their personal know-ledge and working
experiences. At the end of the workshops
the results will be summarized and reported
by one of the members to the rest of the participants.
EFIC is very much convinced of the enormous
importance of this topic. This is why the "Societal
Impact of Pain" will also be the topic of the
2010 European Week Against Pain (EWAP),
the traditional annual awareness campaign
that EFIC has organized every year since 1999.