Attrition From Pediatric Interdisciplinary Chronic Pain Clinics: Utilizing the "Paediatric Electronic Persistent Pain...

Attrition from pediatric chronic pain clinics limits patients from receiving maximum benefit from evidence-based interventions, with likely persistence of chronic pain and functional and psychosocial impairments. We aimed to determine attrition prevalence from interdisciplinary pediatric outpatient chronic pain clinics and identify any associated patient and caregiver factors.

A retrospective analysis was performed of longitudinal data from patients and caregivers attending 10 interdisciplinary pediatric outpatient chronic pain clinics in Australia or New Zealand contributing to the Paediatric electronic Persistent Pain Outcomes Collaboration (PaedePPOC) database. Data were retrieved for patient attrition, patient, and caregiver factors at treatment commencement and subsequent documentation of the episode end for treatment completers and noncompleters. Statistical associations with patient attrition were assessed using logistic regression analyses.

The prevalence of patient attrition was 19.3% in the PaedePPOC cohort (N = 1051), occurring steadily over 11 months. Patients ending their treatment prematurely presented with longer pain duration (>12 mo) [χ 2 (1, n=879)=8.23, P =0.004] than treatment completers. In the regression model, only older patient age ( P =0.010) and higher caregiver psychosocial burden ( P =0.025) at treatment commencement were associated with attrition. While pain intensity, patient physical and psychosocial functioning scores, and caregiver partner status were not.

One in 5 patients commencing an interdisciplinary pediatric outpatient chronic pain clinic intervention did not complete it. Identifying patients at preintervention screening with longer pain duration, older in age, and from families with greater reported caregiver burden and providing tailored supports may minimize attrition, therefore optimizing efficiency of service provision.