Identifying patients at risk for loss to follow-up after pain center treatment.
OBJECTIVE
This study was designed to identify, at admission to a pain treatment facility, characteristics of patients who will be lost to follow-up after treatment completion.


METHODS
Patients were divided into 3 groups depending on how they responded to the 12-month follow-up. The analysis was a between-subjects design using prospective data collected at a comprehensive pain treatment facility. Low back pain patients (n = 168) received 4 weeks of multidisciplinary pain treatment. The main outcome measure was response/nonresponse to follow-up questionnaires.


RESULTS
showed that patients who were later lost to follow-up, or who were reluctant to answer follow-ups, could be predicted at treatment admission by measures of pain and functioning. The prediction equation was validated by a second group of patients, treatment noncompleters (n = 55).


CONCLUSIONS
Chronic pain patients who are more likely to be lost to follow-up can be identified upon admission to a pain facility. Procedures that should decrease follow-up attrition could be implemented at program admission.
Cutler
R B
RB
University of Miami Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Miami Beach, Florida, USA. bcutler@med.miami.edu
Fishbain
D A
DA
Cole
B
B
Steele-Rosomoff
R
R
Rosomoff
H L
HL