Table 3.
Responses to KnowPain-12 Survey Items by Pain Specialist Status
| All (N = 846) | Pain specialist (N = 214) | Not a pain specialist (N = 624) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| % (n) | % (n) | % (n) | p-value | |
| Q1. When I see consistently high scores on pain rating scales in the face of minimal or moderate pathology, this means that the patient is exaggerating his/her pain. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree* | 28 (238) | 40 (85) | 24 (151) | |
| disagree | 37 (316) | 39 (84) | 37 (231) | |
| disagree somewhat | 14 (116) | 11 (24) | 15 (91) | |
| agree somewhat | 17 (142) | 9 (19) | 19 (120) | |
| agree | 3 (29) | 0 (1) | 4 (27) | |
| strongly agree | 1 (5) | 0 (1) | 1 (4) | |
| Q2. In chronic pain, the assessment should include measurement of the pain intensity, emotional distress, and functional status. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree | 2 (14) | 3 (6) | 1 (7) | |
| disagree | 0 (4) | 0 (1) | 0 (3) | |
| disagree somewhat | 0 (1) | 0 (0) | 0 (1) | |
| agree somewhat | 1 (11) | 1 (2) | 1 (9) | |
| agree | 28 (239) | 17 (37) | 32 (199) | |
| strongly agree* | 68 (577) | 79 (168) | 65 (405) | |
| Q3. There is good evidence that psychosocial factors predict outcomes from back surgery better than the patient’s physical characteristics. | .562 | |||
| strongly disagree | 1 (7) | 1 (2) | 1 (5) | |
| disagree | 7 (55) | 9 (19) | 6 (36) | |
| disagree somewhat | 10 (87) | 10 (21) | 11 (66) | |
| agree somewhat | 31 (266) | 30 (65) | 32 (200) | |
| agree | 38 (320) | 39 (84) | 37 (232) | |
| strongly agree* | 13 (111) | 11 (23) | 14 (85) | |
| Q4. Early return to activities is one of my primary goals when treating a patient with recent onset back pain. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree | 1 (11) | 0 (1) | 2 (10) | |
| disagree | 4 (35) | 2 (5) | 5 (30) | |
| disagree somewhat | 3 (27) | 0 (1) | 4 (25) | |
| agree somewhat | 13 (112) | 10 (22) | 14 (89) | |
| agree | 41 (345) | 34 (72) | 43 (269) | |
| strongly agree* | 37 (316) | 53 (113) | 32 (201) | |
| Q5. Antidepressants usually do not improve symptoms and function in chronic pain patients. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree* | 22 (185) | 31 (67) | 19 (116) | |
| disagree | 46 (393) | 50 (108) | 45 (282) | |
| disagree somewhat | 20 (172) | 13 (27) | 23 (142) | |
| agree somewhat | 6 (52) | 4 (9) | 7 (43) | |
| agree | 4 (34) | 1 (2) | 5 (32) | |
| strongly agree | 1 (10) | 0 (1) | 1 (9) | |
| Q6. Cognitive behavioral therapy is very effective in chronic pain management and should be applied as early as possible in the treatment plan for most chronic pain patients. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree | 1 (12) | 1 (3) | 1 (9) | |
| disagree | 2 (21) | 0 (1) | 3 (20) | |
| disagree somewhat | 6 (54) | 4 (9) | 7 (45) | |
| agree somewhat | 24 (203) | 17 (37) | 26 (164) | |
| agree | 36 (302) | 30 (64) | 38 (235) | |
| strongly agree* | 30 (254) | 47 (100) | 24 (151) | |
| Q7. I feel comfortable calculating conversion doses of commonly used opioids. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree | 10 (87) | 2 (5) | 13 (82) | |
| disagree | 12 (103) | 5 (10) | 15 (91) | |
| disagree somewhat | 10 (85) | 4 (8) | 12 (77) | |
| agree somewhat | 17 (145) | 11 (24) | 19 (118) | |
| agree | 27 (227) | 30 (64) | 26 (161) | |
| strongly agree* | 24 (199) | 48 (103) | 15 (95) | |
| Q8. Long-term use of NSAIDs in the management of chronic pain has higher risk for tissue damage, morbidity, and mortality than long-term use of opioids. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree | 4 (36) | 2 (5) | 5 (31) | |
| disagree | 17 (146) | 11 (24) | 19 (121) | |
| disagree somewhat | 20 (166) | 13 (28) | 22 (137) | |
| agree somewhat | 22 (186) | 20 (42) | 23 (142) | |
| agree | 24 (202) | 28 (59) | 22 (140) | |
| strongly agree* | 13 (110) | 26 (56) | 8 (53) | |
| Q9. There is good medical evidence that interdisciplinary treatment of back pain is effective in reducing disability, pain levels, and in returning patients to work. | .004 | |||
| strongly disagree | 1 (8) | 0 (1) | 1 (7) | |
| disagree | 1 (10) | 1 (2) | 1 (7) | |
| disagree somewhat | 1 (10) | 0 (0) | 2 (10) | |
| agree somewhat | 11 (91) | 9 (20) | 11 (70) | |
| agree | 41 (346) | 33 (71) | 44 (272) | |
| strongly agree* | 45 (381) | 56 (120) | 41 (258) | |
| Q10. I believe that chronic pain of unknown cause should not be treated with opioids even if this is the only way to obtain pain relief. | .016 | |||
| strongly disagree* | 23 (196) | 30 (64) | 21 (130) | |
| disagree | 30 (254) | 29 (63) | 30 (190) | |
| disagree somewhat | 21 (180) | 18 (38) | 22 (139) | |
| agree somewhat | 14 (115) | 12 (26) | 14 (87) | |
| agree | 8 (70) | 5 (11) | 9 (59) | |
| strongly agree | 4 (31) | 6 (12) | 3 (19) | |
| Q11. Under federal regulations, it is not lawful to prescribe an opioid to treat pain in a patient with a diagnosed substance use disorder. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree* | 34 (291) | 46 (98) | 31 (191) | |
| disagree | 36 (301) | 36 (77) | 36 (222) | |
| disagree somewhat | 16 (132) | 7 (16) | 18 (112) | |
| agree somewhat | 6 (47) | 2 (4) | 7 (43) | |
| agree | 5 (46) | 4 (8) | 6 (38) | |
| strongly agree | 3 (29) | 5 (11) | 3 (18) | |
| Q12. I know how to obtain information about both state and federal requirements for prescribing opioids. | < .001 | |||
| strongly disagree | 7 (57) | 4 (8) | 8 (48) | |
| disagree | 13 (109) | 6 (13) | 15 (96) | |
| disagree somewhat | 13 (108) | 6 (13) | 15 (91) | |
| agree somewhat | 17 (148) | 10 (21) | 20 (125) | |
| agree | 29 (242) | 36 (78) | 26 (163) | |
| strongly agree* | 22 (182) | 38 (81) | 16 (101) |
*
indicates the most correct response.