Abstract
In our study we investigated the epidemiology and management of pain in Italian general practice. Participating GPs were asked to record the first out of every two contacts with pain during two working weeks between November 2000 and February 2001.
They entered information on type of pain, pain-related diagnosis, certainty of diagnosis and types of prescription. 89 GPs participated in the study. Conclusions: The study identified a high proportion of contacts with pain in Italian general practice, with widespread use of drugs.
The distribution of chronic and acute pain was rather similar and musculoskeletal pain was the most frequent form. Most types of prescriptions were closely related to certainty of diagnosis.