A new report reveals inequality in outcomes from chronic pain clinics

A New Zealand Medical Journal study collected data between 2014 and 2019, on patients who visited chronic pain services.

Patients were asked to evaluate their pain levels through a questionnaire.

It found Maori, Pacific and Asian groups scored themselves poorly, when compared to Europeans.

AUT Associate Professor Gwyn Lewis says it highlights the need to have more ethnic people involved in discussions on how to treat the issue.

She says they're working on fixing the issue by talking with more Maori and Pasifika people about what chronic pain means.