title: [Pain treatment decisions--relevance of health-related quality of life in family medicine].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The reduction of pain is no longer regarded as the predominant objective of pain therapy. Pain-related impairments in quality of life or daily activities, and anxietyand depression--all of which worsen with progressing pain chronification--increasingly gain importance. Impairments in quality of life in particular often have a greater impact on patients afflicted by pain than by other chronic diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present overview explains the importance of the parameter health-related quality of life in the treatment of pain patients in family medicine; in addition, a variety of tools forthe initial and follow-up assessment of pain and pain-related impairments are introduced.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In addition to a mandatory comprehensive pain diagnostic work-up, pain-related restrictions in daily activities and in quality of life should be documented in primary care facilities and considered in pain management approaches. In a multimodal therapy setting, family practitioners have a key role in thediagnosis of pain and in particularalso in the diagnosis of additional symptoms and impairments accompanying pain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Horlemann
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D003131:Combined Modality Therapy; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D005194:Family Practice; D006801:Humans; D059408:Pain Management / Q000523:psychology*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome