Date: November 26, 2025 Reference: Ray et al. Emergency Department Visit Frequency Among Adults with Chronic Abdominal Pain: Findings From the 2023 US National Health Interview Survey. AEM November 2025. Guest Skeptic: Dr. Kirsty Challen is a Consultant in Emergency Medicine in the UK and an evidence-based medicine advocate. She's a seasoned knowledge translator with her PaperinaPic infographics. Case: You are mid-shift in what feels like the never-ending winter of emergency medicine, and you hear the sigh as your resident picks up the chart of the next patient to be seen. Wondering if the resident requires coffee or support, you ask what is wrong. “I’m good, it’s just this is the third patient with acute worsening of abdominal pain they’ve had for years that I’ve seen this week. What’s going on?” Background: Abdominal pain is a frequent reason for presentation to the emergency department (ED), generating over 13 million visits in the US in 2022. As emergency care providers, we are taught to think of the worst-case diagnoses (aneurysmal, ischaemic, an ectopic pregnancy, appendicitis, etc). Once the “bad stuff” is excluded, it’s tempting to breathe a sigh of relief and “not my concern”. However, there is an estimated population prevalence of chronic abdominal pain of around 22 per 1,000 person-years. According to the International Association for the Study of Pain, this is defined as abdominal pain without a clear diagnostic explanation that lasts for 3 months or more. Often, patients with these symptoms have been diagnosed with “functional” abdominal pain, although more recent terminology uses “Disorders of Gut-Brain Interaction”. Managing patients with acute-on-chronic pain syndromes in the ED can be very challenging, particularly if continuity of care is lacking for their chronic condition. This has been addressed to some extent by the GRACE-2 guidance on managing recurrent low-risk abdominal pain, which de-emphasizes repeated routine imaging and recommends opioid-minimizing strategies for symptom management. Clinical Question: Do people with chronic abdominal pain have higher rates of ED utilization than those without? Reference: Ray et al. Emergency Department Visit Frequency Among Adults with Chronic Abdominal Pain: Findings From the 2023 US National Health Interview Survey. AEM November 2025. Population: Adult respondents to the National Health Interview Survey 2023 who completed the question on demographics, pain, healthcare seeking behaviours, disability, mental health, past medical history and social determinants of health. Exclusion: The entire survey excludes people without a permanent household address, active-duty military personnel or civilians on military bases, and residents of long-term care facilities. For this study, the authors also excluded people reporting a history of cancer, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis and those who were pregnant. Exposure: Chronic abdominal pain (CAP) was defined by the authors as reporting pain “most days” or “every day” over the prior three months, and being “bothered by” abdominal, pelvic or genital pain “somewhere between a little and a lot” or “a lot” over the prior three months. Comparison: Adults without chronic abdominal pain. Outcomes: Primary Outcome: ED visits in the prior 12 months. Secondary Outcomes: Mental health status, physical comorbidities, disability, and social determinants of health. Type of Study: Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional interview study. Dr. Michael Ray This is an SGEMHOP, and we are pleased to have the lead author on the episode. Dr. Michael Ray is an Assistant Research Professor, Department of Emergency Medicine at George Washington University School of Medicine & Health Sciences. Known as a pain researcher. Clinically practiced as a chiropractor in an outpatient setting, which led to an interest in chronic pain and transition to academia. Authors’ Conclusions: This nationally representative analysis
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