Managing chronic back pain: impact of an interdisciplinary team approach.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a six-week outpatient program in pain management for patients with chronic back pain. DESIGN: Retrospective review. SETTING: Rehabilitation Clinical Business Unit, Essendon campus of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. SUBJECTS: 138 consecutive patients who participated in the unit's Chronic Back Pain Programme between 1991 and 1993. INTERVENTION: Multidisciplinary program that promoted pain management rather than "cure", with two six-hour group sessions per week for six weeks. OUTCOME MEASURES: Patient assessments before the program and at program completion and at three months' follow-up, with the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYMPI) and a four-minute walk test. RESULTS: At program completion, the WHYMPI showed significant decreases in the amount pain interfered with life and significant increases in patient sense of control and activity level. However, severity of pain remained the same. All these effects were maintained three months later. CONCLUSIONS: A brief outpatient program was effective in improving pain management in a group of chronic back pain sufferers. This seems a useful and relatively inexpensive option in managing this problematic group of patients.