Toothache Pain: Sources of Care and Self-Remedies

描述（由申请人提供）：广泛的目标：开发和试点测试的调查工具和相关的方法，这将有助于疼痛研究人员描述牙痛疼痛对生活质量和低收入少数成年人的日常生活活动的影响，并确定疼痛相关的护理/寻求救济的行为，包括自我护理的性质和决定因素。 理由：牙痛是一个重大的公共卫生问题。 无法获得私人牙科服务的穷人和少数民族可以使用一些替代性的护理来源，包括医生和医院急诊室，或者让药剂师、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。 我们对这些非传统替代品的了解有限。 具体目标：一曰：开发一种结构化数据收集工具，能够捕获与牙痛相关的文化特定数据-疼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，包括低收入白色、非洲裔美国人和西班牙裔成年人的自我护理策略：2：制定一种电话调查方法，以有效地识别、联系、招募和采访低收入白色、非裔美国人，和西班牙裔成年人关于这些问题，从统计上有效的估计可以作出;和3：建立调查工具和方法的可靠性和有效性进行试点电话调查的目标人群使用开发的工具和相关的方法。研究设计：焦点小组将被用来更好地了解穷人白人，黑人和西班牙裔人如何感知牙痛疼痛，疼痛如何影响他们的日常生活，以及用于寻求缓解疼痛的方法。 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色、黑人、西班牙裔受试者（寻求牙医缓解的个体和没有寻求牙医缓解的个体）中进行预测试，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.