Evaluation of a Interdisciplinary Pain Program Among Patients With Chronic Pain and Frequent Emergency Department Visits

The intervention will involve a pain specialist, a clinical health psychologist and a nurse. As needed, it may involve a social worker, an addiction specialist, and other specialists. The pain specialist will conduct an evaluation that includes: history of presenting illness, review of systems, review of pain treatments, medical history, surgical history, addiction history, medications and allergies, insurance for medication, psychosocial history, opioid risk assessment, physical examination, and review of tests and investigations. The psychologist will conduct an evaluation that includes: a structured diagnostic clinical interview, a review of coping strategies, and a review of the questionnaires completed prior to the assessment pertaining to mood, anxiety, trauma and beliefs about pain.

Control group