The association between the problem list and chronic pain management

Background Roughly a quarter of the US population suffers from moderate to severe chronic pain for at least six months in any given year. The complexity of managing chronic pain has encouraged providers to use innovative methods to address it. Research has shown that problem lists are potential tools that support the care of patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease. Objectives To examine the extent to which the inclusion of chronic pain in a problem list is associated with follow-up specialty pain care. Methods The association between chronic pain documentation on the problem list and specialty pain care was investigated in this retrospective cohort study using 4531 patient records. Results Chronic pain documentation in the problem list was associated with higher odds of receiving specialty pain care. The most common diagnosis was chronic pain (69.7%). A migraine diagnosis was associated with decreased odds of receiving specialty care, and chronic pain syndrome was associated with increased odds of receiving specialty care compared with the other chronic pain groups. Conclusion Documenting chronic pain on the problem list was associated with a higher likelihood of patients receiving specialty pain care.