Chronic pain is complex. The condition disturbs common sense; conventional analgesics are often ineffective because the mechanisms are different in acute and chronic pain.
This lack of efficacy presents both clinicians and patients with a conundrum; when pain cannot be cured, it must be managed as best it can. The condition is often misunderstood which is distressing for patient and clinician alike.
Little is known about how GPs and patients discuss and manage persistent pain. Analysing existing video recordings of primary care consultations, this project will investigate how GPs and patients in the UK and New Zealand discuss chronic pain.
General practitioners, patients and conversations about chronic pain
