title: Understanding patient perspectives on management of their chronic pain - online survey protocol.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It is widely recognized that both doctors and patients report discontent regarding pain management provided and received. The impact of chronic pain on an individual's life resonates beyond physical and mental suffering; equal or at times even greater impact is observed on an individual's personal relationships, ability to work, and social interactions. The degree of these effects in each individual varies, mainly because of differences in biological factors, social environment, past experiences, support, and belief systems. Therefore, it is equally possible that these individual patient characteristics could influence their treatment outcome. Research shows that meeting patient expectations is a major challenge for health care systems attempting to provide optimal treatment strategies. However, patient perspectives and expectations in chronic pain management have not been studied extensively. The aim of this study is to investigate the views, perceptions, beliefs, and expectations of individuals who experience chronic pain on a daily basis, and the strategies used by them in managing chronic pain. This paper describes the study protocol to be used in a cross sectional survey of chronic pain patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study population will comprise of individuals aged ≥18 years, who have experienced pain for ≥3 months with no restrictions of sex, ethnicity, or region of residence. Ethics approval for our study was obtained from Humans research ethics committees, University of Adelaide and University of South Australia. Multinomial logistic regression will be used to estimate the effect of duration and character of pain, on patient's perception of time to recovery and supplement intake. Logistic regression will also be used for estimating the effect of patient-provider relationship and pain education on patient-reported recovery and pain intensity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Knowledge about the perceptions and beliefs of patients with chronic pain could inform future policies, research, health care professional education, and development of individualized treatment strategies.
authors.affiliation: Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA; Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA.
authors.forename: Manasi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gaikwad
authors.affiliation: Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanlint
authors.affiliation: Sansom Institute for Health Research, University of South Australia, Adelaide, SA; Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW.
authors.forename: G Lorimer
authors.initials: GL
authors.lastname: Moseley
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA, Australia.
authors.forename: Murthy N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Mittinty
authors.affiliation: Discipline of General Practice, School of Medicine, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Stocks
keywords: chronic pain; pain management; patient perspectives; survey; time to recovery