Inequity in outcomes from New Zealand chronic pain services.

AIM: To evaluate outcomes from chronic pain services in New Zealand based on patient ethnicity. METHOD: Clinical and demographic data were obtained from 4,876 patients from the Electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration (ePPOC) database, a database of standardised assessments from chronic pain services across New Zealand. Clinical questionnaires included the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI); Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale - 21 items (DASS-21); Pain Catastrophising Scale (PCS); and the Pain Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (PSEQ). Regression analysis (adjusting for age, body mass index, and baseline values) was used to determine whether patient ethnicity was associated with clinical questionnaire data at treatment end and at 3-6-month follow-up. RESULTS: At treatment end, there were significantly poorer scores for Pacific people compared to Europeans for several of the DASS-21 and PCS subscales, while there were no differences between European and Maori and Asian ethnicities. At follow-up, almost all outcome measures were poorer for Maori compared to European, and several of the DASS-21 and PCS subscales were poorer for Asian and Pacific people compared to Europeans. CONCLUSION: There are ethnic inequalities in the efficacy of treatment for chronic pain services in New Zealand. The cultural safety of the chronic pain clinics should be reviewed regarding both assessment and management procedures.

Epidemiology of Chronic Pain in the Latium Region, Italy: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Clinical Characteristics of Patients Attending Pain Clinics.

In Italy, chronic pain affects more than a quarter of the population, whereas the average European prevalence is 21%. This high prevalence might be due to the high percentage of Italian people who do not receive treatment, even after the passing of law 38/2010 (the right to access pain management in Italy), which created a regional network for the diagnosis and treatment of noncancer chronic pain. Italian epidemiologic studies on chronic pain are scanty, and this observational, multicenter, cross-sectional study is the first to investigate the clinical characteristics of patients who attended the pain management clinics in the Latium Region, Italy, for the management of their noncancer chronic pain. A total of 1,606 patients (mean age 56.8 years, standard deviation ± 11.4), 67% women, were analyzed. Severe pain was present in 54% of the sample. Women experienced pain and had it in two or more sites more often than men (57% vs. 50%, p = .02; and 55.2% vs. 45.9%, p < .001, respectively). Chronic pain was musculoskeletal (45%), mixed (34%), and neuropathic (21%). In more than 60% of the cases, chronic pain was continuous, and in 20% it had lasted for more than 48 months; long-lasting pain was often neuropathic. Low back (33.4%) and lower limbs (28.2%) were the main locations. Severe intensity of pain was statistically significantly associated with female gender (odds ratio [OR] 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.84); with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, codes for chronic pain syndrome (OR 2.14; 95% CI 1.55-2.95); and with continuous pain (OR 2.02; 95% CI 1.54-2.66). Neuropathic pain and mixed pain were significantly associated with number of sites, and a trend seemed to be present (OR 2.11 and 3.02 for 2 and 3 + sites; 95% CI 1.59-2.79 and 2.00-4.55, respectively).

The effect of an interprofessional pain service on nonmalignant pain control.

PURPOSE: The primary objective of this project was to evaluate an existing interprofessional, nonmalignant pain service by measuring the difference in patient pain scores (numeric rating scale-11) before and after a pharmacist-led pain education class and medication therapy management (MTM) visit. Secondary objectives included determining the percentage of pharmacist recommendations approved, patient satisfaction, and difference in immediate release (IR) and extended release (ER) opioid use before and after enrollment. METHODS: Baseline data were obtained from a retrospective chart review. Enrolled patients attended an educational pain class with the pharmacist. At the MTM visit with the pharmacist 3-14 days after the initial education class, the patient's pain score was assessed along with his/her medication use, and a care plan was developed and forwarded to the referring provider for implementation. Three months after the pain class and participation in the MTM visit, patients were contacted via telephone to complete a survey. The survey questions assessed patient satisfaction with the pain education program, their current pain score, and their knowledge of information covered during the pain class. RESULTS: Patients reported an average preenrollment pain score of 8.3/10 (n = 39) and a post-survey pain score of 5.6/10 (n = 39). The IR opioid use averaged 19.7 morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) at enrollment and decreased by 40% to 11.8 MEDD. The provider approval rate of the pharmacist-recommended interventions ranged from 80% to 92%, depending on the predesignated disease state category. CONCLUSION: An interprofessional, nonmalignant-pain service including a pharmacist-led class resulted in a decrease in average pain scores and MEDD in an underserved population.

The development and first six years of a nurse-led chest pain clinic.

AIM: Chest pain is a common symptom that creates significant anxiety for patients until a diagnosis can be offered. However, hospital cardiology services can struggle to cope with referral demands from primary care. The aim of this paper is to describe the development and implementation of a nurse-led chest pain service, its care processes and clinical outcomes to show feasibility, safety and sustainability. METHOD: We retrospectively analysed referral, demographic, cardiovascular risk, management and clinical outcome data relating to patients assessed in the nurse-led chest pain clinic in a large metropolitan district health board. RESULTS: Between January 2010 to December 2016, 3,587 patients attended the clinic, median 2.6 weeks (IQR 2-3) from referral to attendance. 1,921 (54%) were male and 2,059 (57%) were less than 60 years old. Most patients, 3,059 (85%), had an exercise tolerance test (ETT) and of those, 294 (10%) were positive, 572 (18%) non-diagnostic and 2,193 (72%) negative. Cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention medication was added or modified for 1,150 (32%) patients, all patients who smoked were offered cessation support and all patients were provided with tailored lifestyle advice depending on their absolute CVD risk. Of the 319 (9%) referred for a diagnostic coronary angiogram, 205 (64%) had important coronary disease. The majority of patients, 2,088 (58%) were able to be discharged without any further investigation planned. Over a median follow-up period of 3.6 years, we identified 14 (0.4%) cardiac-related deaths, median (IQR) 2 (1-4) years from review to death. CONCLUSION: The nurse-led clinic offers an enhanced prevention focus that is sustainably managing large numbers of patients with outcomes similar to international studies and within recommended local timeframes.

Establishing an Acute Pain Service in Private Practice and Updates on Regional Anesthesia Billing.

Acute pain management is an expanding perioperative specialty and there is a renewed focus on implementing and developing an acute pain service (APS) in nonacademic hospitals (ie, "private practice"). An anesthesiologist-led APS can improve patient care by decreasing perioperative morbidity and potentially reducing the risk of chronic postsurgical pain syndromes. Elements of a successful APS include multidisciplinary collaboration to develop perioperative pain protocols, education of health care providers and patients, and regular evaluation of patient safety and quality of care metrics. Standardization of regional anesthesia procedures and billing practices can promote consistent outcomes and efficiency.

[Territorial resources and access to care in the case of chronic pain]. / Ressources territoriales et accès aux soins en cas de douleur chronique.

To respond to the complexity of the management of patients with chronic pain, an adapted and structured biopsychosocial approach is necessary. Created and managed by committed caregivers, regulated and financed by decision-making bodies, chronic pain assessment and treatment centres form part of the patient care pathway.

Walking down 'Via Dolorosa' from primary health care to the specialty pain clinic - patient and professional perceptions of inequity in rehabilitation of chronic pain.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse patient and professional perceptions about (in)equity of care and rehabilitation of chronic pain patients from primary health care to assessment at a specialty rehabilitation clinic. SETTING AND METHODS: This qualitative study consists one focus group interview with eight general practitioners who refer patients to pain rehabilitation clinics, 10 individual interviews with patients who were assessed at a pain rehabilitation clinic and seven interviews with professionals participating in multimodal assessment teams at a pain rehabilitation clinic. Interview analysis was conducted by the grounded theory method. RESULTS: The core category Via Dolorosa, the way of suffering and pain, captured how gender and sociocultural context may contribute to advantages and disadvantages during patient journeys from primary health care to a pain rehabilitation clinic. Patients and professionals perceived pain as a low-ranking illness, and women and men used different gendered strategies to legitimise the pain and to be taken seriously. Being 'a proper patient ready to change' and having 'likeness' between patients and professionals were viewed as advantageous in rehabilitation of pain patients. Patients with higher educational levels were perceived as easier to interact with and had better access to health care. Professional thoughts about gender norms influenced the rehabilitation options. The rehabilitation programme was seen by several professionals to be better suited for women than men, which could lead to unequal care. CONCLUSION: From an equity and gender perspective, our study highlights the complexity in rehabilitation of chronic pain patients - both from patient and professional perspectives. Awareness of gendered and the biased preconceptions and norms is crucial when professionals struggle to offer equitable health care and rehabilitation.

First Dutch Consensus of Pain Quality Indicators for Pain Treatment Facilities.

BACKGROUND: There is a general consensus about the need to define and improve the quality of pain treatment facilities. Although guidelines and recommendations to improve the quality of pain practice management have been launched, provision of appropriate pain treatment is inconsistent and the quality of facilities varies widely. The aim of the study was to develop an expert-agreed list of quality indicators applicable to pain treatment facilities. The list was also intended to be used as the basis for a set of criteria for registered status of pain treatment facilities. METHODS: The University Pain Center Maastricht at the Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Management of the Maastricht University Medical Center conducted a 3-round Delphi study in collaboration with the Board of the Pain Section of the Dutch Society of Anesthesiologists (NVA). RESULTS: Twenty-five quality indicators were selected as relevant to 2 types of pain treatment facilities, pain clinics and pain centers. The final expert-agreed list consisted of 22 quality indicators covering 7 quality domains: supervision, availability of care, staffing level and patient load, quality policy, multidisciplinarity, regionalization, and research and education. CONCLUSIONS: This set of quality indicators may facilitate organizational evaluation and improve insight into service quality from the perspectives of patients, pain specialists, and other healthcare professionals. Recommendations for improvements to the current set of quality indicators are made. In 2014 the process of registering pain treatment facilities in the Netherlands started; facilities can register as a pain clinic or pain center.

Health Services for Management of Chronic Non-Cancer Pain in Kuwait: A Case Study Review.

The experience of chronic pain is universal, yet pain management services delivered by health professionals vary substantially, depending on the context and patient. This review is a part of a series that has examined the issue of chronic non-cancer pain services and management in different global cities. The review is structured as a case study of the availability of management services for people living with chronic non-cancer pain within the context of the Kuwaiti health systems, and the cases are built from evidence in the published literature identified through a comprehensive review process. The evolution of the organizational structure of the public and private health systems in Kuwait is described. These are discussed in terms of their impact on the delivery of comprehensive chronic pain management service by health professionals in Kuwait. This review also includes a description of chronic pain patient personas to highlight expected barriers as well as compliance issues with services likely to be encountered in Kuwait. The case study analysis and persona descriptions illustrate a need to move beyond pain symptom management towards considering the entire person and his/her individual experience of pain such that health care success is judged by enhancement of patient well-being rather than access to services. A road map for improving integrative chronic pain management in Kuwait is discussed.

National survey of pain clinics in Croatia: Organization and services.

OBJECTIVE: To analyze organization and therapeutic procedures administered in tertiary outpatient pain clinics in Croatia. METHODS: Data about organization of pain clinics, its personnel, equipment, continuing medical education, therapeutic procedures, research activities and relations with pharmaceutical industry were collected using questionnaires. RESULTS: Twenty-two Croatian pain clinics were included in the study. Most of the pain clinics employ exclusively anesthesiologists and nurses. The most frequently prescribed therapeutic procedures in pain clinics were pharmacotherapy, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, acupuncture and trigger point injections. Almost all pain clinics provide educational material for patients. Most of the pain clinics have regular interactions with pharmaceutical companies. Prescribing decisions were based mostly on information from scientific meetings, research articles and consultations with colleagues. Information sources which are considered to be the gold standard--the systematic reviews of The Cochrane Collaboration--were used less frequently (n=12; 57%) than advertising materials from pharmaceutical companies (n=16; 76%). Few physicians and other pain clinics staff had scientific degrees or academic titles or were involved in a research project. CONCLUSION: The national study about pain clinics in Croatia pointed out that there is room for improvement of their organization and services. Pain clinics should employ health-care professionals with diverse backgrounds. They should offer treatments backed by the highest-level of scientific evidence. Since pain is a major public health issue, pain clinic staff should engage more in research to contribute to the growing field of pain research, to enhance capacities for pain research in Croatia, to incorporate scientific evidence into their daily decision-making and to enable evidence-based practice.

[Consensus paper of the German Migraine and Headache Society on the structure of headache care facilities in Germany]. / Konsensuspapier der Deutschen Migräne- und Kopfschmerzgesellschaft zur Struktur von Kopfschmerzzentren und Kopfschmerzschwerpunktpraxen in Deutschland.

This consensus paper introduces a classification of headache care facilities on behalf of the German Migraine and Headache Society. This classification is based on the recommendations of the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) and the European Headache Federation (EHF) and was adapted to reflect the specific situation of headache care in Germany. It defines three levels of headache care: headache practitioner (level 1), headache outpatient clinic (level 2) and headache centers (level 3). The objective of the publication is to define and establish reliable criteria in the field of headache care in Germany.

The chronic pain patient and functional assessment: use of the 6-Minute Walk Test in a multidisciplinary pain clinic.

OBJECTIVE: For chronic pain treatment, guidelines and regulatory agencies have defined functional improvement as a primary goal, especially when chronic opioid therapy is used. Functional improvement is frequently evaluated by qualitative questioning. This pilot study sought to establish a simple and inexpensive measure of functional change for a chronic pain population. METHODS: Using a multidisciplinary pain clinic standard physical therapy approach for all entering chronic pain patients, multiple functional tests were performed, including the 6-Minute Walk Test. Data was collected by retrospective chart review, at entry to the clinic and 3-6 months later and compared using simple t-test statistics on 45 patients. RESULTS: The average distance walked at center admission was 272.87 yards. At 3-6 month clinical retesting, the distance had improved significantly to 339.04 yards (p<0.0001). NRS scores at 3-6 months were also improved from baseline (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: While suggestive, this study has significant limitations. Not all patients entering into the clinic were included in this study, only those who had completed the necessary testing. Further, chart reviews are complicated by the accuracy with which data is recorded. This study is intriguing and presents positive data for a simple, inexpensive and reproducible test for physical functioning in a chronic pain population. Further study is warranted based on these descriptive results.

[Pre-existing pain as comorbidity in postoperative acute pain service]. / Vorbestehender Schmerz als Komorbidität im postoperativen Akutschmerzdienst.

BACKGROUND: Pre-existing or chronic pain is a relevant risk factor for severe postoperative pain. The prevalence of pre-existing and chronic pain in hospital depends on the time definition used and is approximately 44 % and 33%, at 3 or 6 months, respectively. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and importance of pre-existing pain in patients treated by a postoperative acute pain service (APS) and to evaluate the requirements for treatment and resources as well as its quality in this context. MATERIAL AND METHODS: This study involved an evaluation of all visits by the APS of the University Hospital in Göttingen over an 8-week period including patient subjective quality assessment on the basis of the quality improvement in postoperative pain therapy (QUIPS) questionnaire. Pre-existing pain (>12 weeks) was assessed by recording patients history of pain by members of the APS. The results from patients with and without pre-existing pain were compared. RESULTS: A total of 128 patients (38% female, 62% male, aged 15-88 years old, mean age 59.8 ± 14.4 years) were seen by the APS on 633 occasions. Of these patients 91% had been admitted to hospital for surgery (66% for tumor surgery, 8% joint replacement, 9% other joint surgery and 16% other interventions), 50% had acute postoperative pain without pre-existing pain, 50% had had pre-existing pain for at least 12 weeks, 31% had chronic non-cancer pain and 19% pain possibly related to cancer. Patients with pre-existing pain showed no significant differences in the treatment requirements (e.g. adjustment of medication), use of resources (e.g. number of visits to the APS and time spent in hospital) and quality of care (e.g. pain intensity, functional aspects, side effects and complications) in the setting of the APS. However, there was an additional subsequent support by chronic pain and palliative care services. CONCLUSION: Pre-existing pain is a common comorbidity in surgery patients treated by the APS. There were no significant differences in treatment requirements and quality of care between the patients. This is in contrast to other studies of postoperative pain management which showed that patients with pre-existing postoperative pain had higher pain intensity. This indicates indirectly that the presence of pre-existing pain should be further evaluated as a potentially useful indication for the support by an APS. However there is an urgent need for further studies to clarify whether this indirect effect can be replicated at other hospitals or in other patient collectives. Also it has to be clarified what benefits pain patients have from this kind of treatment: if they benefit from the APS in general or from the special technique, if there is a long-term effect lasting beyond treatment in the APS or if this group of patients would benefit in general from multiprofessional and non-invasive concepts of acute pain treatment.

[Integrated headache care network. Kiel Migraine and Headache Center and German National Headache Treatment Network]. / Sektorenübergreifende schmerzmedizinische Versorgung. Schmerzklinik Kiel und bundesweites Kopfschmerzbehandlungsnetz.

Migraine and other headaches affect 54 million people in Germany. They rank among the ten most severely disabling complaints and the three most expensive neurological disorders. Nevertheless, they are not adequately recognized in the healthcare system with sketchy diagnoses and inadequate treatment. This inadequate care is not primarily due to a lack of medical and scientific knowledge on the development and treatment of headaches but is predominantly due to organizational deficits in the healthcare system and in the implementation of current knowledge. To overcome the organizational barriers the national headache treatment network was initiated in Germany. For the first time it allows national cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary links between inpatient and outpatient care. A hand in hand treatment programme, better education, better information exchange between all partners and combined efforts using clearly defined treatment pathways and goals are the basis for state of the art and efficient treatment results. The treatment network is geared towards the specialized treatment of severely affected patients with chronic headache disorders. A national network of outpatient and inpatient pain therapists in both practices and hospitals works hand in hand to optimally alleviate pain in a comprehensive cross-sectoral and multidisciplinary manner. For therapy refractive disorders, a high-intensive supraregional fully inpatient treatment can be arranged. This concept offers for the first time a nationwide coordinated treatment without limitation by specialization and bureaucratic remuneration sectors.

[Intersectoral pain treatment. The Algesiologikum group]. / Sektorübergreifende schmerzmedizinische Versorgung. Der Algesiologikum-Verbund.

Cross-sectoral clinical pathways for chronic pain patients in standard and routine care are a major challenge for the German healthcare system. The Algesiologikum group has developed such clinical pathways including an essential infrastructure. Cooperation partners of the Algesiologikum group are two outpatient medical care units, one neurosurgery practice and four hospitals. In the outpatient sector as well as in the inpatient sector the Algesiologikum group provides a multidisciplinary team caring for chronic pain patients. The range of treatment in the hospitals includes multimodal, invasive and surgical pain therapy. The present report illustrates possibilities and frontiers of the Algesiologikum concept based on all patients treated since 2009.

Non-cardiac chest pain: time to extend the rapid access chest pain clinic?

Non-cardiac chest pain is common. It has a low risk of coronary events, but causes considerable physical and social disability and inappropriate health-care usage. It is a heterogeneous condition, which may be caused by or associated with gastro-oesophageal, musculoskeletal or psychiatric abnormalities and sustained by psychological factors including catastrophisation, avoidance behaviour and abnormal help-seeking. These may coexist and their relative contributions may vary in different patients or at different times in an individual patient. The absence of a unitary cause probably explains why treatment studies show only moderate success. An individualised biopsychosocial approach takes account of all causative and sustaining processes and has been shown to work in pain syndromes at other sites. We suggest that this approach should be tried for chest pain using a multidisciplinary clinic model including cardiologists, psychologists and nurses linked with a Rapid Access Chest Pain Clinic.

Developing a pediatric pain service.

Pediatric pain services were first established in larger pediatric centers over two decades ago. Children's acute pain was poorly managed at the time owing to misconceptions, safety concerns, and variability in practice. While many larger pediatric centers now have acute pain services, there remains a need for better pain management in facilities and geographic locations with fewer resources. Institutional acknowledgement and desire to change, appropriate staffing, and funding are major obstacles. Better recognition and assessment as well safer and more efficacious treatment of pain are the principal objectives when establishing a pain service. It is important to determine whether the proposed service intends to treat acute, chronic, procedural, and/or cancer and palliative pain as each requires different skills and resources. An ideal and comprehensive pediatric pain service should be equipped to diagnose and treat acute, persistent (chronic), procedural, and cancer/palliative pain. It is not feasible or necessary for every hospital to manage all. Establishing the scope of practice (based on case mix and caseload) in any given hospital will determine which resources are desired. Country-specific standards, local staffing, and fiscal constraints will influence which resources are available.

The impact of a nurse-led chronic musculoskeletal pain clinic on healthcare utilization.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a nurse-led chronic musculoskeletal pain clinic for fibromyalgia patients can reduce utilization of healthcare services. BACKGROUND: People with fibromyalgia often consult multiple specialities due to the vast nature of their symptoms but receive little or no help in managing their symptoms. DESIGN: A retrospective evaluation of a nurse consultant-led chronic pain management clinic. METHODS: The frequency of hospital attendances in the five years before and three years after pain clinic attendance was evaluated. General practitioner (GP) attendances in the 12-month period before and after pain clinic attendance were compared with attendances for two groups of patients from an established GP cohort: (i) patients referred to rheumatology new patient clinics and (ii) all patients with fibromyalgia referred to any hospital new patient clinic. RESULTS: In the three years following attendance at the pain clinic, the mean number of hospital appointments fell significantly from 2.8 to 1.4 per annum (p < 0.001). The mean reduction seen in hospital clinic attendances in the first year (0.8/annum) improved in the second (1.2/annum) and third (2.1/annum) years. Seventy-eight per cent of pain clinic patients reduced their visits to their GP in the 12 months following treatment in the pain service, compared with 53% of patients referred to rheumatology clinics and 46% of patients with fibromyalgia. CONCLUSION: A nurse-led chronic pain clinic for fibromyalgia patients can have a positive impact on primary and secondary healthcare utilization. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Having a designated nurse-led pain clinic can enable patients to access the appropriate service at an earlier stage in their condition and receive the support needed to manage the impact of their pain.