title: Effects of multidisciplinary pain treatment can be predicted without elaborate questionnaires.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Low back pain is one of the most common and expensive diseases of Western societies. Psychosocial factors such as low social status, depression, or work dissatisfaction are known to promote chronicity of low back pain. With a multidisciplinary approach, better outcomes can be achieved than with purely biomedical treatment. Optimal patient selection for multidisciplinary therapy reduces costs and labour. This study investigated whether elaborated questionnaires exceed simple items in predicting multimodal therapy success.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this prospective longitudinal clinical study, 330 patients were followed up for six months after multidisciplinary therapy. We applied the patient questionnaire Heidelberg Short Early Risk Assessment Questionnaire for the Prediction of Chronicity in Low Back Pain (HKF-R10) that is approved and established for predicting chronicity in patients with acute low back pain to forecast the therapeutic outcome. Outcome criteria were QOL, pain reduction and back to work.
  
  
  RESULTS
  With regard to outcome criteria, the HKF-R10 was unable to anticipate therapeutic success, but education level, depression, best pain condition, and helplessness predicted therapy success with an 80% probability for QOL improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is not necessary to confront patients with an extensive and complicated questionnaire to predict the outcome of multidisciplinary therapy. In fact, assessing a few specific items allows better and easier prognosis estimation.
authors.affiliation: University Clinic for Orthopedics and Trauma Surgery, Schlierbacher Landstrasse 200a, 69118, Heidelberg, Germany, mail@medfischer.de.
authors.forename: Christian Alexander
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Neubauer
authors.forename: Hanne S
authors.initials: HS
authors.lastname: Adams
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schiltenwolf
authors.forename: Haili
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living / Q000523:psychology; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001521:Behavior Therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018710:Pain Clinics; D026741:Physical Therapy Modalities; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology; D062707:Return to Work; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome