Related Experiment Video
Updated: Dec 9, 2025
09:00
Author Spotlight: Quantifying Pain Experience – An Illustrative Approach Using the Pain Body Diagram
Published on: July 7, 2023
4.2K
Identifying Multisite Chronic Pain with Electronic Health Records Data.
Michael Von Korff1, Lynn L DeBar1, Richard A Deyo2
1Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, Washington.
Pain Medicine (Malden, Mass.)
|September 12, 2020
Summary
Electronic health records are not accurate for identifying multisite chronic pain (MSCP) compared to surveys. However, both methods reveal higher pain impact in individuals with MSCP.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Health Informatics
- Pain Management
Background:
- Multisite chronic pain (MSCP) is linked to greater pain impact.
- Accurate identification methods for MSCP in epidemiological research are needed.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the validity of using electronic health care data for identifying MSCP.
- To compare this with identification via survey questionnaires.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 2,059 adults from Kaiser Permanente Northwest and Washington.
- MSCP and single-site chronic pain were identified using electronic health records and self-report surveys.
- Weighted analyses were performed to account for stratified sampling.
Main Results:
- Prevalence of MSCP was lower with electronic health records (14.7%) than surveys (25.9%).
- Agreement between the two methods was low (kappa = 0.21).
- Electronic health record identification showed 30.9% sensitivity and 91.0% specificity relative to self-report.
Conclusions:
- Electronic health care data is not sufficiently accurate for identifying MSCP as a surrogate for self-report.
- Both methods identified individuals with increased chronic pain impact, including higher disability, severity, depressive symptoms, and opioid use.
