Systematic review of outpatient services for chronic pain control

McQuay HJ, Moore RA, Eccleston C, Morley S, de C Williams AC
Record ID 31998008188
English
Authors' objectives:

This report reviews the evidence about the effectiveness of treatments for chronic pain. While treatment of chronic pain is usually seen as an integrated service, this report concentrates on the individual interventions that constitute the service.

Authors' recommendations: The findings show that there is excellent evidence of effectiveness for some common treatments for chronic pain, good evidence that some treatments are without effect, and a lack of evidence of effectiveness for some commonly-used treatments. With regard to costing services, chronic pain units may save the National Health Service substantial sums by caring for patients and minimising unnecessary consultations and investigations. Given that there is substantial evidence for efficacy and inefficacy of individuals interventions, the ideal would be for a process analysis approach to chronic pain services. This could well establish a model for other chronic services.
Details
Project Status: Completed
URL for project: http://www.hta.ac.uk/913
Year Published: 1997
English language abstract: An English language summary is available
Publication Type: Not Assigned
Country: England, United Kingdom
MeSH Terms
  • Ambulatory Care
  • Outpatient Clinics, Hospital
  • Pain Clinics
  • Pain, Intractable
Contact
Organisation Name: NIHR Health Technology Assessment programme
Contact Address: NIHR Journals Library, National Institute for Health and Care Research, Evaluation, Trials and Studies Coordinating Centre, Alpha House, University of Southampton Science Park, Southampton SO16 7NS, UK
Contact Name: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Contact Email: journals.library@nihr.ac.uk
Copyright: 2009 Queen's Printer and Controller of HMSO
This is a bibliographic record of a published health technology assessment from a member of INAHTA or other HTA producer. No evaluation of the quality of this assessment has been made for the HTA database.