title: The Canadian STOP-PAIN project - Part 2: What is the cost of pain for patients on waitlists of multidisciplinary pain treatment facilities?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The Canadian STOP-PAIN Project was designed to document the human and economic burden of chronic pain in individuals on waitlists of Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Facilities (MPTF). This paper describes the societal costs of their pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  A subgroup of 370 patients was selected randomly from The Canadian STOP-PAIN Project. Participants completed a self-administered costing tool (the Ambulatory and Home Care Record) on a daily basis for three months. They provided information about publicly financed resources, such as health care professional consultations and diagnostic tests as well as privately financed costs, including out-of-pocket expenditures and time devoted to seeking, receiving, and providing care. To determine the cost of care, resources were valued using various costing methods, and multivariate linear regression was used to predict total cost.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall, the median monthly cost of care was $1,462 (CDN) per study participant. Ninety-five percent of the total expenditures were privately financed. The final regression model consisted of the following determinants: educational level, employment status, province, pain duration, depression, and health-related quality of life. This model accounted for 35% of the variance in total expenditure (P < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The economic burden of chronic pain is substantial in patients on waitlists of MPTFs. Consequently, it is essential to consider this burden when making decisions regarding resource allocation and waitlist assignment for a MPTF. Resource allocation decision-making should include the economic implications of having patients wait for an assessment and for care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, ON, Canada. denise.guerriere@utoronto.ca
authors.forename: Denise N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Guerriere
authors.forename: Manon
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Choinière
authors.forename: Dominique
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dion
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Stafford-Coyte
authors.forename: Brandon
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Zagorski
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Banner
authors.forename: Pamela M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Barton
authors.forename: Aline
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Boulanger
authors.forename: Alexander J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Clark
authors.forename: Allan S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Gordon
authors.forename: Marie-Claude
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Guertin
authors.forename: Howard M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: Intrater
authors.forename: Sandra M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Lefort
authors.forename: Mary E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Lynch
authors.forename: Dwight E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Moulin
authors.forename: May
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ong-Lam
authors.forename: Mélanie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Racine
authors.forename: Saifee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rashiq
authors.forename: Yoram
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shir
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taenzer
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ware
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002170:Canada; D002908:Chronic Disease; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D010146:Pain / Q000191:economics*; D018710:Pain Clinics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D059408:Pain Management; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D013997:Time Factors; D014850:Waiting Lists; D055815:Young Adult