Patients referred from a multidisciplinary pain clinic to the social worker, their general health, pain condition, treatment and outcome.

Background and aims As far as we know, the range of issues particular to social work, when working with clients at a pain clinic has not been previously researched. Methods A retrospective study of referrals at the multidisciplinary Pain Clinic of Helsinki University Central Hospital was conducted based on medical records, focusing on pain conditions, treatments and patient flow. Variables used were age, gender, pain conditions, treatment interventions, pain duration and intensity, disruption in everyday life due to pain, psychiatric co-morbidities, referrals, outside care providers, post-treatment care and health habits.

Patients referred from a multidisciplinary pain clinic to the social worker, their socio-demographic profile and the contribution of the social worker to the management of the patients.

Background and aims Social factors and social environment shape the pain behavior of patients. Social workers support pain treatment in a multidisciplinary pain clinic by altering the social environment of a patient. Even though a social worker in a multi-professional care team contributes to the care of select, severely pain-afflicted patients extensively, neither the patient socio-demographic status nor interventions by social workers have been systematically documented.