The socioeconomic impact of chronic pain

Abstract

A concern with the socioeconomic effects of chronic nonmalignant pain, as well as the human aspects, inspired a search of the literature for evidence in this area. The review has identified three main areas of interest, socioeconomic statistics; pain prevalence in the community, and the quality of life issues. A selection of the literature is reviewed here under these headings, and the conclusion indicates possible areas for further work.