Survey Results

Who took part?

• PainSTORY was conducted in the UK, France, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Ireland, Belgium, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands and Norway. A total of 294 patients completed the survey.

* In Poland, 25 chronic pain patients participated in one wave of the study, to explore a snapshot view of the current impact of chronic pain and its management in this group of patients.


• All participants suffered from chronic pain, i.e. pain lasting for more than 3 months, with 40% suffering for more than 2 years.



• All patients who completed the survey had a pain rating of >5–10 on a pain scale at the screening stage, where 0 = no pain and 10 = the worst pain imaginable. At the evaluation stage of the survey, patients’ pain levels were ranked as mild (1-3), moderate (4-7) or severe (8-10). See Patient Resources for more information on pain scales.
• Everyone had visited their doctor about their pain for the first time in the last 2 years. The patients are typically female and aged 41 years and over (all participants were over 18 years old).
• The recruitment process varied from country to country, and included recruitment via primary and secondary care physicians, use of databases, patient associations and advertising in national and regional media.