CHRONIC PAIN PREVALENCE AND ASSESSMENT GAP IN ITALIAN PUA/UVM PATIENTS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

G. Fedelfranco | Social Health Local District of Bari, Unified Access Point / Multidimensional Assessment Unit, Bari; University of Bari "Aldo Moro", Bari, Italy

Abstract

Background and Aims. Chronic pain (CP) affects 24.1% of Italian adults (Violini et al., Pain Res Manag 2025; DOI:10.1155/prm/3401242), yet 86.2% remain unaware of pain management centers. The IFoC (Infermiere di Famiglia o Comunità), mandated by DM 77/2022 with approximately 3,000 patients per nurse, conducts routine multidimensional assessments in U.O. PUA/UVM yet lacks standardized pain assessment protocols. This study quantifies chronic pain prevalence, severity, and functional impact in the PUA/UVM population and maps current IFoC pain assessment practices.
Methods. Cross-sectional observational study. Phase 1: consecutive patients referred to U.O. PUA/UVM ASL Bari (N=32 completed, target N=120) administered the NRS and the interview-administered Brief Pain Inventory Short Form (BPI-SF; Cleeland & Ryan, Ann Acad Med Singap 1994; PMID 8080219; validated for chronic nonmalignant pain: Cronbach α=0.85–0.88) during routine multidimensional assessment visits. DN4-interview administered to patients with NRS ≥ 4 to screen for the neuropathic component. Phase 2: semi-structured interviews with IFoC (N=8). IRB waiver for anonymized data; Phase 2 ethics pending.
Results. In Phase 1 preliminary results (N=32), 56.3% of patients experienced moderate-to-severe pain (NRS ≥ 4), no patients had a documented pain management plan, and BPI-SF severity and interference data are currently under analysis. Phase 2 (N=8 IFoC): Pain assessment was absent from the standard multidimensional evaluation protocol in all cases; zero had received pain assessment training in the past 3 years.
Conclusions. Chronic pain is highly prevalent but unassessed in the PUA/UVM population. Standardizing interview-administered BPI-SF and NRS within the IFoC multidimensional evaluation is a low-cost, evidence-based intervention to close Italy's chronic pain assessment gap.