The Use of Telepain for Chronic Pain in the U.S. Armed Forces: Patient Experience from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Chronic pain affects over 100 million American adults. The prevalence of chronic pain is even higher among U.S. military personnel. Approximately 44% of active duty military experience pain upon returning from deployment compared with 26% of the general public who experience chronic pain. The high prevalence of chronic pain within the Military Health System is compounded by limited access to chronic pain specialists, specifically with regard to patients at remote military treatment facilities (MTFs). Thus, when compared to personnel at tertiary care MTFs, they often have decreased access to care and experience increased time away from their mission to receive care. Since 2009, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC) has been using telemedicine to extend chronic pain consults to remote MTFs within the National Capital Region (NCR). The goal of this study was to determine if patients referred to the WRNMMC Telepain Program reported improvements in subjective measures associated with accessing care. To accomplish this, we surveyed a convenience sample of patients using the service to determine if participation: (1) improved pain, (2) improved quality of life, (3) decreased travel time, (4) improved access to care, and (5) decreased time away from work. Materials and Methods An official on behalf of the Institutional Review Board at WRNMMC determined this research to be not human subject research. Over a 13-month period, surveys were administered at the conclusion of all initial Telepain Consults. The survey consisted of an eight question, 5-point balanced Likert scale survey with 1 (strongly disagree) being the most negative and 5 (strongly agree) being most positive. The questions were designed to gauge impact on patient’s perceived access to care, quality of life, overall patient satisfaction, and privacy concerns. The percentages of answers, including strongly agree or agree for positive toned questions and strongly disagree and disagree for negatively toned questions, were calculated and presented in a clustered bar graph. Results A total of 66 Telepain surveys were collected over 13 months with an overall positive reception. Respondents agreed or strongly agreed that Telepain increased access to care (98.5%) and decreased travel time (96.9%). When asked if they would recommend a Telepain visit to others, 93.9% of indicated strongly agree or agree. When asked about overall satisfaction, 83.3% of patients answered completely satisfied or very satisfied. Conclusions The majority of pain specialists within the Military Health System are located at major military medical centers, the most of which are distant from surrounding MTFs. Prior to the development of the WRNMMC Telepain service, personnel at remote MTFs had to endure extended time away from their mission to receive care. The majority of patients that participated in the NCR Telepain program reported a positively perceived impact on pain, access to care, quality of life, transportation burden, and time away from work. In conclusion, The NCR Telepain team of providers have worked together to successfully establish a viable Telepain program at WRNMMC, one that will continue to be further improved and successful in the future.