BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Pain is a multifactorial phenomenon and one of the most frequent symptoms reported during medical visits. This study aimed at evaluating the prevalence of chronic pain among users of a Basic Health Unit (BHU) of the city of Santa Maria, RS. METHOD: This is a transversal study evaluating individuals of both genders, above 18 years of age, who were in the waiting room of BHU. Identification data, generic quality of life questionnaire (SF-12), functional capacity scale for chronic pain patients and visual analog scale (VAS) were applied. RESULTS: From all respondents, 37.8% had chronic pain, mean age was 46.3 ± 16.4 years with predominance of females (87%). Chronic pain intensity evaluated by VAS was 7.38 ± 2.16. CONCLUSION: In spite of the small sample size of this study, it is important to develop preventive strategies aiming at well-being and quality of life of chronic pain patients.
Chronic pain; Primary health attention; Quality of life
