Der Schmerz
-
The direct comparison of day care pain patients with patients from other treatment sectors with respect to sociodemographic, pain-related and psychological characteristics has not yet been the subject of systematic analyses. The project core documentation and quality assurance in pain therapy (KEDOQ-pain) of the German Pain Society (Deutsche Schmerzgesellschaft e. V.) makes this comparison possible. ⋯ The comparison of outpatients and inpatients showed significant group differences for some variables; however, the effects were very small. The evaluations suggest that pain therapy day care facilities treat a special group of pain patients that significantly differ from patients in other treatment sectors. Cautious conclusions are drawn regarding the systematic allocation of patients to care appropriate to their treatment needs.
-
The Mainz Pain Staging System (MPSS), which has been validated primarily in middle-aged and chronic low back pain patients, is designed to predict prognosis and control the use of resources at baseline. In multi-morbid and functionally impaired patients (geriatric patients) with multiple causes of pain, it is unclear whether this instrument can be implemented at all and whether it permits statements to be made on the severity of pain chronification. ⋯ MPSS can be used in multi-morbid and functionally impaired elderly patients undergoing inpatient treatment. Chronification features are more pronounced at higher stages than at lower levels. Only one category of the MPSS cannot be collected by self-assessment. The possibilities of prognosis estimation and resource control using the MPSS should be further investigated for these patients.