title: Shortening the Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R): A Proof-of-Principle Study for Customized Computer-Based Testing.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Screener and Opioid Assessment for Patients with Pain-Revised (SOAPP-R) is a 24-item self-report instrument that was developed to aid providers in predicting aberrant medication-related behaviors among chronic pain patients. Although the SOAPP-R has garnered widespread use, certain patients may be dissuaded from taking it because of its length. Administrative barriers associated with lengthy questionnaires further limit its utility.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the extent to which two techniques for computer-based administration (curtailment and stochastic curtailment) reduce the average test length of the SOAPP-R without unduly affecting sensitivity and specificity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Pain management centers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four hundred and twenty-eight chronic non-cancer pain patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Subjects had taken the full-length SOAPP-R and been classified by the Aberrant Drug Behavior Index (ADBI) as having engaged or not engaged in aberrant medication-related behavior. Curtailment and stochastic curtailment were applied to the data in post-hoc simulation. Sensitivity and specificity with respect to the ADBI, as well as average test length, were computed for the full-length test, curtailment, and stochastic curtailment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The full-length SOAPP-R exhibited a sensitivity of 0.745 and a specificity of 0.671 for predicting the ADBI. Curtailment reduced the average test length by 26% while exhibiting the same sensitivity and specificity as the full-length test. Stochastic curtailment reduced the average test length by as much as 65% while always exhibiting sensitivity and specificity for the ADBI within 0.035 of those of the full-length test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Curtailment and stochastic curtailment have potential to improve the SOAPP-R's efficiency in computer-based administrations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Community Service, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Matthew D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Finkelman
authors.affiliation: Craniofacial Pain and Headache Division, Department of Diagnostic Sciences, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.|Department of Anesthesia, Critical Care and Pain Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Kulich
authors.affiliation: Medical Affairs, Inc., Newton, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Kevin L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Zacharoff
authors.affiliation: Department of Methods, Faculty of Psychology and Education, VU University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Niels
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Smits
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology, Oral Medicine, and Craniofacial Pain, Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Britta E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Magnuson
authors.affiliation: Sackler School of Graduate Biomedical Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Jinghui
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dong
authors.affiliation: Inflexxion, Inc., Health Analytics Department, Newton, Massachusetts, USA.
authors.forename: Stephen F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Butler
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001900:Boston; D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making / Q000379:methods; D003936:Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted / Q000379:methods*; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods; D008875:Middle Aged; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D012984:Software; D012986:Software Validation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid
keywords: Chronic Pain; Opioids; Respondent Burden; Risk Stratification; SOAPP-R; Substance Abuse