Initiatives Needed To Mitigate Pain Clinic Staff Harassment Caused By Patients; Dr Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, Salem Pain Clinic

Pain Clinicians Endure Harassment From Some Patients, And This Sociomedical Problem Requires Societal Initiatives. Olumuyiwa Bamgbade, Salem Pain Clinic Canada

SURREY, BC, CANADA, June 5, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Chronic pain affects many adults and older adults. A patient’s pain may have secondary effects on their relationships and society. Therefore, patients with chronic pain deserve comprehensive therapy for their physical and psychological pain. Most chronic pain patients are reasonable, but some are challenging. Some patients engage in significant harassment or threats toward pain clinic staff. Most pain clinicians do not report harassment caused by patients and their families. This complex sociomedical problem was addressed in a clinical research publication by Dr. Olumuyiwa Bamgbade and an international collaborative research team.

The peer-reviewed research article was published in the reputable Anesthesiology And Pain Medicine journal in May 2024. The prospective clinical study involved 1102 chronic pain patients who received treatment at the pain clinic. The study results showed that pain clinic staff were harassed by 121 patients (11 %). The types of harassment included insults, threats, retaliation complaints, and sexual harassment. Insults included racist, xenophobic, derogatory, and name-calling abuse. Threats encompassed negative customer reviews, complaints to authorities, vengeance, vandalism, and violence. Retaliation harassment involved patients making spurious complaints to authorities. Sexual harassment included comments about staff's anatomy or body, propositions of intimate or sexual activity, unwanted sexual remarks, unsolicited descriptions by patients of their sexual activities, unwanted hugging or touching, repeated social or date invitations, and patients soliciting comments about their own body or appearance. Pain clinic staff were sexually harassed exclusively by female patients.

Among all the harassers, females constituted 70.2 % and males 29.8 %. Also, 50.4 % of the harassers were unemployed, and 86 % had injury insurance claims. Of the harassers, 50.4 % demanded higher drug doses, 40.5 % demanded quicker injury claims processing, and 9.1 % demanded unrealistic appointment scheduling. Additionally, 8.3 % of harassers were accompanied by family members in harassing clinic staff. The clinic staff managed all incidents of harassment compassionately and ethically. Insults were resolved through diplomatic communication, and threats were addressed with tactful dialogue. The staff firmly rejected all advances of sexual harassment made by patients. Three harassers, after being discharged, stalked the pain clinician.

Harassment of pain clinic staff by chronic pain patients is significant. This sociomedical issue may be worsening due to opioid misuse, racism, pandemic, and socioeconomic challenges. Despite the challenges posed by chronic pain patients, they should be treated with compassion and equity. Abusive patients should receive anxiolytic therapy, behavioral boundaries, counseling, distraction therapy, and empathy. Patients should be reminded of the boundaries of appropriate behavior and the importance of treating pain clinic staff with decency. Some complex patients may be managed through telehealth consultations and occasional in-person clinic visits.

Dr Bamgbade is an anesthesiologist and interventional pain physician trained in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, the USA, and South Korea. He is a clinical professor at institutions in Africa, Europe, and North America. He has collaborated with researchers in Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, Botswana, Kenya, South Africa, Jamaica, Ethiopia, Zambia, Iran, Namibia, Tanzania, the USA, China, and Canada. Dr Bamgbade has published 44 scientific papers in PubMed-indexed medical journals. He is the director of Salem Anaesthesia Pain Clinic, a specialist clinic and research center in Surrey, BC, Canada. Dr Bamgbade and Salem Pain Clinic specialize in researching and managing pain, insomnia, substance addiction therapy, neuropathy, public safety, injury rehabilitation, public health, medicolegal science, and perioperative care.

References:
Bamgbade O A, Sonaike M T, Adineh-Mehr L, et al. Pain Management and Sociology Implications: The Sociomedical Problem of Pain Clinic Staff Harassment Caused by Chronic Pain Patients. Anesth Pain Med. 2024;14(2):e144263.

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Olumuyiwa Bamgbade
Salem Anaesthesia Pain Clinic
+1 778-628-6600
salem.painclinic@gmail.com
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