Anaesthesia
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This audit study took place in ten outpatient pain clinics and focused on the management of low back pain and nerve-damage pain. The objective was to identify and promote appropriate changes in management. An analysis of the treatment of 1236 patients with low back pain and/or nerve-damage pain highlighted wide variations in practice. ⋯ Many changes in practice occurred after the audit intervention, with large increases in the utilisation of these three treatments. Since there is reasonable evidence to support the use of these treatments for chronic pain this represents an improvement in the process of care. The audit demonstrated that patient management can be improved by a combination of active feedback and discussions based around comparisons between centres.