Do pain characteristics guide selection for multimodal pain rehabilitation?

Area of Science:

• Pain Medicine
• Rehabilitation Science
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Multimodal or multidisciplinary rehabilitation (MMR) is a key treatment for chronic pain.
• Understanding patient selection criteria for MMR is crucial for equitable access and effective care.
• The influence of self-reported pain measures and sex on MMR selection requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the association between self-reported pain measures and selection for MMR.
• To determine if sex influences the relationship between pain measures and MMR selection.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional cohort study analyzed data from 1,226 women and 464 men with chronic pain.
• Data were sourced from the Swedish Quality Registry for Pain Rehabilitation (SQRP).
• Multiple logistic regression investigated associations between pain measures and MMR selection, controlling for covariates.

Main Results:

• Higher pain intensity and severity were negatively associated with MMR selection (OR 0.92, 0.83 respectively).
• A greater number of pain quadrants positively correlated with MMR selection.
• These associations were observed in women, but no pain measures predicted selection for men.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported pain levels do not appear to be the primary driver for MMR selection.
• In women, higher pain intensity and severity were paradoxically linked to lower MMR selection rates.
• Factors beyond pain metrics likely dictate patient eligibility for multimodal or multidisciplinary rehabilitation.