
This study drives home all the horror stories I’ve been hearing from my fellow chronic pain sufferers.
Texas Ambassador Melinda Sandor
INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC PAIN ARE PARTICULARLY VULNERABLE DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
This population is at higher risk of developing serious COVID-19 and must limit contact, but they also live with painful conditions that require regular medical care.
In order to better understand the challenges the pain community is facing and find ways to help, U.S. Pain Foundation recently conducted a survey of 664 individuals with pain about the impact of COVID-19.
The data, published in an April 15 report, highlights several concerning trends.
KEY DATA POINTS
- 77.4% said they were experiencing barriers to medical care
- 63.8% said they were experiencing increased pain
- 56.1% said they didn’t understand their insurer’s telehealth coverage policies
- 25.3% said they had not been informed by anyone of their telehealth options
- 25.1% said that despite the special circumstances, their insurer would not cover more than a 30-day supply of medication
- 13.6% said their appointment can be done over telehealth, but their clinician doesn’t offer it
- 10.2% of respondents said their clinician refused to refill medications over telehealth
interesting study for sure! Thanks for sharing it!
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