Opioid therapy in Austria: results and analysis of a survey

Introduction: Many causes are given as the main reason for inadequate pain therapy. The objective of our study was to demonstrate the current position of doctors in general practice all over Austria who prescribe prescription s. Methods: A total of 5,359 questionnaires were sent out to general practitio ners in all federal states of Austria. These questionnaires contained 21 ma in questions on subjects relevant to pain therapy. Results: On average, 16% of all generall practitioners returned the questio nnaires; 89.3% of these are acquainted with the WHO graduated scale, 87% ha ve prescribed strong opioids. Old prejudices such as concerns about the sid e effects are hardly to be found now. Modern therapy strategies are used. Conclusion: Based on the data at hand, pain therapy for patients should be excellent. The reality, however, is somewhat different. The large number of doctors who did not reply makes it enormously difficult to make a statemen t about the position of pain therapy in Austria.