‘Drawing a line in the sand’: Physician diagnostic uncertainty in pediatric chronic pain

AbstractMany patients with chronic pain do not receive a diagnosis that precisely explains a pathological cause of their pain (Butow& Sharpe, 2013; Serbic& Pincus, 2013). Over 40% of adults with chronic pain experience diagnostic uncertainty (DU), the perception that a label or explanation for a patient ’s health problem is missing or inaccurate (Serbic& Pincus, 2013), which is associated with elevated levels of anxiety, depression, pain intensity (Serbic et al., 2016), and disability (Geisser& Roth, 1998).
Source: European Journal of Pain - Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Tags: ORIGINAL ARTICLE Source Type: research