• Bruce D Dick, Saifudin Rashiq, Michelle J Verrier, Arto Ohinmaa, and Julie Zhang.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, 8-120 Clinical Sciences Building, University of Alberta Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2B7.
• Pain Res Treat. 2011 Jan 1; 2011: 809071.

AbstractChronic noncancer pain is a prevalent problem associated with poor quality of life. While symptom burden is frequently mentioned in the literature and clinical settings, this research highlights the considerable negative impact of chronic pain on the individual. The 15D, a measure of health-related quality of life (HRQOL), is a user-friendly tool with good psychometric properties. Using a modified edmonton symptom assessment scale (ESAS), we examined whether demographics, medical history, and symptom burden reports from the ESAS would be related statistically to HRQOL measured with the 15D. Symptom burden, medication detriment scores, and number of medical comorbidities were significant negative predictors of 15D scores with ESAS symptom burden being the strongest predictor. Our findings highlight the tremendous symptom burden experienced in our sample. Our data suggest that heavier prescription medication treatment for chronic pain has the potential to negatively impact HRQOL. Much remains unknown regarding how to assess and improve HRQOL in this relatively heterogeneous clinical population.

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