Evaluation of a Pain Outcome Measures Collection Program in an Interdisciplinary Pain Management Clinic

Abstract

The Southern Arizona Veterans Affairs Health Care System (SAVAHCS) Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Clinic (CPRC) is an interdisciplinary pain management team. The team consists of physicians, a psychologist, a kinesiotherapist, a nurse and a pharmacist, who work together, to manage pain. In order to monitor and improve the effectiveness of treatment at SAVAHCS CPRC, the team created a pain outcomes measure collection program. A pilot study of the pain outcomes data collection process was conducted. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the data collection procedure and identify areas for improvement. The program planned to collect outcomes data at a new patient education/orientation class using an intake questionnaire. After three months, a follow-up questionnaire was to be mailed to the patient. The patient would then return the questionnaire, by mail, to the clinic where responses would be entered into an electronic database. Eight items in the data collection process were recognized as needing improvement. Three of the most important items follow. (1) Mailing out questionnaires had a low response rate, which could be solved by administering the intake questionnaire during the pharmacist medication evaluation, and the follow-up questionnaire, 6 months later, during a provider appointment. (2) The investigational review board approval process took longer than anticipated but could be corrected through enforcement of a submission time line. (3) Data entry required a large amount of time but could be rectified through the use of volunteers. Overall, the data collection program could gather outcome measures, but procedural adjustments need to occur.