title: Can assessing chronic pain outcomes data improve outcomes?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This manuscript reviews how patient-reported outcomes data can be used to guide efforts to improve patient outcomes.
  
  
  METHODS
  Review Manuscript.
  
  
  METHODS
  The clinical management of chronic, non-cancer pain.
  
  
  METHODS
  Adult patients receiving treatment for chronic, non-cancer pain.
  
  
  RESULTS
  While there have been great advances in the science of pain and various therapeutic medications and interventions, patient outcomes are variable. This manuscript reviews how outcomes data can be used to guide efforts to improve patient outcomes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patient outcomes can be improved with standardization of the process of patient care, as well as through other quality improvement efforts. The cornerstone to any effort to improve patient outcomes starts with the integration of valid outcomes data collection into ongoing patient care. Outcome measurement tools should provide information on several key domains, yet the process of data collection should not pose a significant burden on either the patient or health care team. Efforts to improve patient outcomes are ongoing, and should be a high priority for every health care team.
authors.affiliation: Penn Pain Medicine Center, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care, The University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19146, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Witkin
authors.forename: John T
authors.initials: JT
authors.lastname: Farrar
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ashburn
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D057286:Electronic Health Records; D055991:Health Records, Personal; D006801:Humans; D033181:Information Dissemination / Q000379:methods; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods*; D063868:Patient Outcome Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States