MEASURING PAIN IN A GROUP OF HEALTHCARE WORKERS

Abstract

Pain, an emotional and sensory experience that complicates a person's quality of lite, although subjective, can be eva/uated with sea/es designed far its measurement. Nationally, there is no systematic eva/uation of the presence of pain in the healthy adult population and preventative medica/ examinations do not include it. The current article has as its objective the generating of know/edge regarding the presence of pain in a presumably healthy working population. An anonymous, voluntary and self administered questionnaire is used with workers from the Office of Health Services in Maule. The numbered EVA sea/e is used. Results found that 33.7% of employees did not present pain, none the /e ss, 66.3% did report pain while in the workplace, and regarding pain intensity, it is observed that 1O.1%; of workers present light pain, 24. 7% moderate pain, 18 % intense pain and 13.5 . % of the sample present severe pain.

The age group of 61 years and o/der was the on/y one to not present pain, and 65% of those in the range of 51-60 years presented pain; physica/ /ocation of pain is mostly in the back with a range between 1-8 of intensity, followed by head aches with a range of 1-1O in intensity. lt is concluded that pain is present in a significant percentage of the population whi/e in the workplace, and results are similar to those found in other studies regarding location of pain. The need to include the evaluation of the fifth vital sign, pain, in preventative examinations is demonstrated. Key Words: , h, , ,