“The Pain Proposal European Consensus Report”, written by a range of experts and policymakers and sponsored by Pfizer, was released on 29 September 2010 at the European Parliament in a call for action to improve the treatment of chronic pain and ensure everyone has access to a minimum standard of care, which, it claims, will generate substantial savings and boost outcomes for patients.

Chronic pain could be costing Europe as much as 300 billion Euros every year, it says, with national bills ranging from 1.1 billion Euro to almost 50 billion Euro.

While the direct costs to healthcare systems are significant, it has been estimated that nine-tenths of the burden falls on wider society, such as employers, families and taxpayers.

The report found that 21% of Europeans with chronic pain are currently unable to work because of their chronic pain, and of those who are able to, 61% said it had directly affected their employment status. In addition, people with chronic pain in employment felt that their condition interfered with their ability to work effectively 28% of the time.

But crucially, the report has revealed huge gaps in the care of patients with pain across Europe, which, if addressed, could improve outcomes and cut unnecessary expense. For example, current data show that in Europe, patients with chronic pain wait 2.2 years for specialist help from first seeking medical advice and a diagnosis, and 38% feel their pain is not adequately managed.

The report highlights the urgent need to improve the patient pathway and to increase public awareness of chronic pain so that help is sought at an earlier stage.

The report makes several recommendations to help paint a better picture for patients in Europe. For one, it says physicians need better training and education on what treatments and services are available, healthcare pathways should be simplified, and policymakers should identify pain as an important issue in European society if the magnitude of the problem is to be recognised and addressed.