MANAGING CHRONIC BACK PAIN - IMPACT OF AN INTERDISCIPLINARY TEAM-APPROACH

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a six-week outpatient prog ram in pain management for patients with chronic back pain. Design: Re trospective review. Setting: Rehabilitation Clinical Business Unit, Es sendon campus of the Royal Melbourne Hospital. Subjects: 138 consecuti ve patients who participated in the unit's Chronic Back Pain Programme between 1991 and 1993. Intervention: Multidisciplinary program that p romoted pain management rather than ''cure'', with two six-hour group sessions per week for six weeks. Outcome measures: Patient assessments before the program and at program completion and at three months' fol low-up, with the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory (WHYM PI) and a four-minute walk test. Results: At program completion, the W HYMPI showed significant decreases in the amount pain interfered with life and significant increases in patient sense of control and activit y level. However, severity of pain remained the same. All these effect s were maintained three months later. Conclusions: A brief outpatient program was effective in improving pain management in a group of chron ic back pain sufferers. This seems a useful and relatively inexpensive option in managing this problematic group of patients.