PERCEIVED EFFICACY OF PAIN CLINICS IN THE REHABILITATION OF INJURED WORKERS

Objective: To assess the perceived efficacy of pain clinics in the reh abilitation of injured workers among four groups of professionals. Des ign: A questionnaire was given to 351 subjects representing four profe ssional groups: physicians, vocational rehabilitation counselors, staf f at pain clinics, and employees of a workers compensation program. Su bjects rated the effectiveness of pain clinics in eight specific funct ions, estimated the percentage of workers who return to work after pai n clinic treatment, and indicated how soon after injury a worker shoul d be referred to a pain clinic. Results: Pain clinic staff consistentl y gave the most favorable ratings and workers compensation employees t he least favorable ones. There was good agreement across professional groups regarding the need for early referral of injured workers to pai n clinics and the specific functions that pain clinics carry out relat ively well. Clinics were ranked as most effective in reducing workers' use of opiates, and as least effective in reducing workers' pain. Ret urn-to-work estimates varied significantly across professional groups. Within professional groups, subjects with high estimates gave more fa vorable overall ratings to pain clinics. Conclusions: The results prov ide a profile of the perceived effectiveness of pain clinics in variou s functions and highlight the importance of getting accurate informati on about return to work rates following pain clinic treatment. They su ggest that workers are not referred to pain clinics early enough.