OBJECTIVES: To explore the perspectives of both physicians and patients on how pain was assessed, managed and treated. METHODS: Face to face semi-structured questionnaires were administered with 70 physicians and 210 patients. Most of the physicians were specialists (78.6%) and practiced at private hospitals (61%).  Patients were recruited through the physicians at their consultation. RESULTS: Most patients were female (71%) and aged less than 30 years were seen by GPs while the older ones 41-60 years, were seen by specialists. Lumbar/low back pain and osteoarthritis were the most common pain encountered and one-third of the patients suffered from pain for less than three weeks before seeing doctors. Overall the patients were quite satisfied with their doctors’ consultation time spent. However, the patients who were treated by GPs perceived that their doctors did not explain about the treatment options to the same level as physicians claimed that their patients were informed. Regarding the types of treatment, 93% physicians reported that they likely recommended both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments but the patients revealed that they received pharmacological treatment only (47%) and 53% for the combination remedy. Factors affecting the physician prescribing decision included safety (96%), efficacy (90%), and cost (86%) of drug choice while the patients viewed that efficacy (86%), convenient dosage (53%), and safety (42%) of a drug were their main concerns. About eight out of ten patients reported that the sources of information for pain management were from specialists, friends/family, GPs and TV/Radio. Nevertheless, most patients were not proactively discussing the potential risks associated with prescription of NSAIDs with their doctors. CONCLUSIONS: Different concerns and information communicated by doctors may affect how it is perceived by patients. Effective patient education is essential to encourage a two-way communication between physician-patient to minimize the negative outcomes and maximize the quality of care.