Der Schmerz
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Data of a multimodal pain management program of the multidisciplinary pain management centre at the University Hospital of Dresden is presented. Over a period of 4 weeks, supplemented by an additional week 3 months later (booster week), patients with chronic pain of different origins are being treated in groups of 12. Based on the principles of the biopsychosocial pain model and the idea of functional restoration, the program is dedicated for pain patients where outpatient treatment was insufficient. ⋯ Significant and clinically relevant improvements could be achieved with the multimodal pain management program in groups of 12 patients. The results were stable over a time period of 1 year. Pain diagnosis had no impact on the outcome.
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Injuries of the pudendal nerve, due to a perineal tear during delivery for example, can cause significant and debilitating neurological deficits. Aconuresis and anal incontinence, as well as sensory loss of the outer genitals or even impotency in men are the well known consequences. In addition some patients suffer from a severe neuropathic pain syndrome which is resistant to conservative treatment options. Epidural spinal cord stimulation at the level of the terminal cone of the spinal cord may be a new and successful therapeutic concept in otherwise untreatable cases.
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Integrated care builds interdisciplinary networks across the different healthcare sectors. A conjoint effort toward clearly defined treatment goals is crucial for medically effective and economically efficient care. Allowing creativity in the implementation of integrated care triggers competition for more effective ideas and better solutions. ⋯ It demonstrates that coordinated modern therapy effectively relieves pain, lowers costs sustainably, and reduces sick leave. Patient satisfaction is very high. The healthcare providers may directly participate in treatment success through risk-sharing.
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In 1998 the board of the DGSS introduced a computerized documentation system named QUAST (quality assurance in pain therapy) building the foundation for a large, anonymous database that served as a data source for the statistical characterization of clinically relevant profiles of patients in German pain clinics. ⋯ The documented data differ from other population-based data collections. In contrast to common belief there are a considerable number of patients who find access to specialized pain therapy institutions at an early stage of their illness. The hitherto regular use of generic, syndrome-overlapping diagnosis and treatment tools should be reconsidered taking into account the differences found between the main pain diagnosis groups. Lastly, this analysis provides current data on the psychological state of chronic pain patients showing a high degree of psychological distress and underlying the need of psychotherapeutic interventions in the treatment of chronic pain patients.