Toothache Pain: Sources of Care and Self-Remedies

描述(由申请人提供)：广泛目标：开发和试点测试一种调查工具和相关方法，以帮助疼痛研究人员描述牙痛对低收入少数族裔成年人的生活质量和日常生活能力的影响，并确定与疼痛相关的护理/寻求缓解行为的性质和决定因素，包括自我护理。理由：牙痛是一个重大的公共健康问题。无法获得私人牙科服务的穷人和少数族裔可以使用许多替代护理来源，包括医生和医院急诊科，或者请药剂师、非专业治疗师或其他非传统环境和提供者参与，以及使用自我护理战略来缓解疼痛。我们对这些非传统选择的了解是有限的。具体目标：1：开发一种结构化的数据收集工具，能够捕获与牙痛和疼痛相关的行为影响以及疼痛相关的护理/寻求缓解行为有关的特定文化数据，包括低收入白人、非裔美国人和西班牙裔成年人的自我护理战略：2：开发一种电话调查方法，就这些问题有效地识别、联系、招募和采访低收入白人、非裔美国人和西班牙裔成年人，并从统计上做出有效的估计；3.通过使用开发的工具和相关方法对目标人群进行试点电话调查，确定调查工具和方法的可靠性和有效性。研究设计：将利用焦点小组更好地了解贫穷的白人、黑人和西班牙裔人如何感知牙痛，疼痛如何影响他们的日常生活，以及寻求疼痛缓解的方法。这些数据将用于开发结构化电话调查工具。该仪器将在贫穷的白人、黑人和西班牙裔受试者(包括向牙医寻求缓解的人和那些没有向牙医寻求缓解的人)身上进行预先测试，这些受试者在过去六个月内经历过牙痛。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Broad Objective: To develop and pilot test a survey instrument and associated methodology that will assist pain researchers to describe the impact of toothache pain on the quality of life and activities of daily living of low-income minority adults and identify the nature and determinants of pain-related care/relief-seeking behaviors, including self-care. Rationale: Pain from toothaches represents a significant public health problem. The poor and minorities who lack access to private dental services may use a number of alternative sources for care, including physicians and hospital emergency departments, or alternatively involve pharmacists, lay healers, or other non- traditional settings and providers, as well as use self-care strategies for pain relief. Our knowledge of these non-traditional alternatives is limited. Specific Aims: 1: to develop a structured data collection instrument capable of capturing culturally specific data pertaining to toothache- pain and pain-related behavioral impact, and pain-related care/relief-seeking behaviors, including self-care strategies for low-income White, African-American, and Hispanic adults: 2: To develop a telephone survey methodology to efficiently and effectively identify, contact, recruit, and interview low-income White, African American, and Hispanic adults regarding these issues from which statistically valid estimates can be made; and 3: To establish the reliability and validity of the survey instrument and methodology by conducting a pilot telephone survey of the target population using the developed instrument and associated methodology. Research Design: Focus groups will be utilized to gain a better understanding of how poor Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics perceive toothache pain, how the pain affects their daily lives, and the approaches used to seek pain relief. These data will be used to develop a structured telephone survey instrument. The instrument will be pretested on poor White, Black, Hispanic subjects (both individuals who sought relief from dentists and those who did not) who have experienced toothache pain during the preceding six months.