Evidence to support the ‘White Paper on Opioids and Pain: A Pan-European Challenge’

In conjunction with the White Paper qualitative research, a recent survey was carried out on behalf of the OPEN Minds group to ascertain the public’s perceptions of opioids and strong pain killers and to identify specific misconceptions that exist in Europe today¹. The survey, conducted via internet panel, collated results from 1,000 respondents across five countries in Europe (UK, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy).

Key results are presented below, including a regional breakdown by the five European countries involved in the study:

Do you know what opioids such as morphine are?

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
Yes	76	59.60%	76.90%	77.20%	85.40%	81.80%
No	24	40.40%	23.10%	22.80%	14.60%	18.20%

Have you seen or heard any information in the media regarding opioids?

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
Yes	29	15.10%	45.70%	14.60%	44.30%	27.60%
No	71	84.90%	54.30%	85.40%	55.70%	72.40%

How do you feel the media portray opioids?

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
A negative picture	44	48.50%	53.50%	33.30%	57.40%	27.10%
A balanced picture	39	39.40%	28.70%	43.30%	30.90%	52.50%
A positive picture	4	3.00%	7.90%	3.30%	2.10%	5.10%
Unsure	13	9.10%	9.90%	20.00%	9.60%	15.30%

Have you ever experienced a negative reaction from someone when you told them you were taking a strong pain medication?

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
Yes	21	18.30%	17.10%	15.30%	35.30%	21.30%
No	69	76.50%	79.00%	72.90%	45.90%	70.00%
Unsure	10	5.20%	3.80%	11.90%	18.80%	8.80%

How did your pharmacist react when you presented him/her with your prescription for strong pain medication?

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
Positively	7	22.60%	5.70%	3.40%	0.00%	3.80%
Neutrally	76	58.30%	81.90%	79.70%	76.50%	82.50%
Negatively	5	1.70%	3.80%	5.10%	11.80%	2.50%
Unsure	12	17.40%	8.60%	11.90%	11.80%	11.30%

Do you feel prescriptions for opioids and strong painkillers should look different to those for other medicines?

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
Yes	44	42.20%	37.40%	47.10%	55.70%	36.90%
No	39	37.20%	51.40%	32.00%	29.70%	45.30%
Unsure	17	20.60%	11.30%	20.90%	14.60%	17.80%

If a prescription for opioid medications was different to a standard prescription, would this affect you in any way?

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
No	72	74.80%	53.60%	78.60%	80.20%	72.00%
Yes – It would make me wary of taking the medicine	21	20.20%	32.90%	18.40%	13.70%	20.60%
Yes – I would be embarrassed to take the prescription to the pharmacist	7	5.00%	13.50%	2.90%	6.10%	7.50%

Do you feel that the rules for prescribing strong pain killers should be:

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
The same as for other medicines	38	38.50%	43.20%	41.30%	39.60%	27.10%
Stricter than for other medicines	60	60.10%	54.50%	57.30%	54.20%	72.90%
More lenient that for other medicines	2	1.40%	2.30%	1.50%	6.10%	0.00%

Could you please indicate how much you agree or disagree with each one of the following statements, using the scale: Agree, Disagree or Unsure:

[Summary of respondents agreeing with the statement*]

	TOTAL EUROPE (%)	GB	ES	SW	IT	DE
Painkillers prescribed by my doctor would be stronger than the painkillers I could buy at a pharmacy	63	79.40%	52.30%	81.60%	39.20%	63.60%
Painkillers prescribed by my doctor might be more harmful than the painkillers I could buy at a pharmacy	34	42.20%	13.10%	64.10%	15.10%	34.10%
I would rather buy painkillers myself than have them prescribed for me	17	17.00%	14.40%	26.20%	10.40%	15.90%
People can become addicted to strong painkillers	85	86.70%	77.90%	92.20%	78.80%	91.60%
People can become addicted to any medicines	66	70.20%	73.00%	61.70%	67.50%	58.40%
People cannot become addicted to strong painkillers if they are used properly	41	35.30%	55.90%	24.30%	49.50%	39.30%
If I were prescribed strong painkillers I would worry that I might become addicted to them	39	31.20%	45.00%	40.30%	42.90%	36.40%
If one of my family were prescribed painkillers, I would worry that they might become addicted to them	45	36.20%	53.60%	51.50%	44.80%	39.30%
People taking strong painkillers should not be allowed to drive	55	43.10%	33.30%	66.00%	59.00%	72.00%
People taking any medicine should not be allowed to drive	8	6.90%	6.30%	4.40%	6.10%	15.90%
People should have access to the pain control medication they need, regardless of cost	69	83.00%	60.40%	79.10%	72.20%	48.60%

* Summary of respondents disagreeing / unsure available on request

Pain in Europe survey
The Pain in Europe survey² is the most in-depth and largest ever survey of chronic pain sufferers in Europe. Sponsored by Mundipharma International Limited, Cambridge, and conducted in conjunction with EFIC – the European Federation of IASP (International Alliance for the Study of Pain) Chapters - it was designed to explore the prevalence, severity and treatment of chronic pain, and its impact on patient’s daily lives.

The survey results collated 46,000 responses across 16 countries. The results, announced in October 2003, identified:

• One in five adults in Europe suffers from chronic pain
• 19% of the adult population in Europe experience long-term pain at levels that seriously impact their home and working lives
• 35% (of those that suffer from chronic pain) experienced pain every day of their life, 16% said that some days the pain made them want to die
• 28% of sufferers did not think their doctor knew how to control their pain
• 40% had not achieved adequate pain control
• Only 2% had been referred to a pain management specialist, and only 23% had seen a specialist of any kind for their pain (rheumatologist, chiropractor, orthopaedic specialist)

References

1. Public Perceptions of Opioids and Strong Pain Killers. Research by Light Speed Research on behalf of the OPEN Minds group, May 2005
2. Pain In Europe (www.painineurope.com)

Sponsored by an educational grant from Mundipharma International Limited, Cambridge.