The response to treatment in a multidisciplinary pain clinic

Reports of the results obtained by multidisciplinary pain clinics are reviewed. The outcome of management of a cohort of patients referred to the Royal Adelaide Hospital Pain Clinic is described. Thirty-seven percent of patients reported partial or complete relief. The problems of assessing outcome are discussed, as well as the difficulty of making meaningful comparisons between pain clinics. The evidence thus far available suggests that multidisciplinary pain clinics make a useful and important contribution to the management of pain syndromes.