Quality of Comprehensive Chronic Pain Management and Its Association with Satisfaction and Quality of Life of Adult Patients Treated in Public Health Facilities

Abstract

Background: Chronic pain affects approximately 20–30% of the global adult population and constitutes a major public health challenge, particularly in resource-constrained settings. Despite the recognized burden of chronic pain, systematic evaluations of the quality of comprehensive pain management and its relationship with patient-reported outcomes remain scarce, especially in public health facilities in Latin America.
Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the quality of comprehensive chronic pain management and its association with patient satisfaction and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) among adult patients receiving care in public health establishments.
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in four public health facilities. A total of 384 adult patients with chronic non-cancer pain (duration ≥3 months) were recruited through consecutive sampling. Data were collected using the Pain Treatment Satisfaction Scale (PTSS), the EuroQol EQ-5D-5L, the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), and a researcher-designed quality-of-care assessment questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, Spearman's correlation coefficients, and multivariate linear regression were used for analysis.
Results: The mean age was 52.7 ± 14.3 years; 63.8% were female. Musculoskeletal pain was the most prevalent type (48.2%). Overall, 58.6% rated their pain management as satisfactory. Comprehensive pain management quality was moderately correlated with patient satisfaction (r = 0.62, p < 0.001) and HRQoL (r = 0.54, p < 0.001). Multivariate regression revealed that information provision (β = 0.28, p < 0.001), interdisciplinary coordination (β = 0.22, p = 0.003), and pain severity (β = −0.31, p < 0.001) were significant predictors of satisfaction. Pain intensity was the strongest predictor of HRQoL deficits (β = −0.39, p < 0.001).
Conclusions: The quality of comprehensive chronic pain management in public health facilities significantly influences patient satisfaction and quality of life. Strengthening interdisciplinary care models, improving patient education, and systematically assessing patient-reported outcomes are critical strategies for enhancing chronic pain care in public health systems.