title: Multidimensional Diagnostic Criteria for Chronic Pain: Introduction to the ACTTION-American Pain Society Pain Taxonomy (AAPT).
abstract: A variety of approaches have been used to develop diagnostic criteria for chronic pain. The published evidence of the reliability and validity of existing diagnostic criteria is limited, and these criteria have typically not been used in clinical practice. The availability of a widely accepted, consistently applied, and evidence-based taxonomy of diagnostic criteria would improve the quality of clinical research on chronic pain and would be of great value in clinical practice. To address the need for evidence-based diagnostic criteria for the major chronic pain conditions, the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION) public-private partnership with the US Food and Drug Administration and the American Pain Society (APS) have collaborated on the development of the ACTTION-APS Pain Taxonomy (AAPT). AAPT provides a multidimensional framework that is applied systematically in the development of diagnostic criteria. This article (1) describes the background and rationale for AAPT; (2) presents the AAPT taxonomy and the specific conditions for which diagnostic criteria have been developed (to be published separately); (3) briefly reviews the 5 dimensions that constitute the AAPT multidimensional framework and describes the 7 accompanying articles that discuss these dimensions and other important issues involving AAPT; and (4) provides an overview of next steps, specifically, the general processes by which the initial set of diagnostic criteria (for which the evidence base has been drawn from the literature, systematic reviews, and secondary analyses of existing databases) will undergo additional assessments of reliability and validity.
  
  
  
  To address the need for evidence-based diagnostic criteria for the major chronic pain conditions, the AAPT provides a multidimensional framework that is applied systematically in the development of diagnostic criteria. The long-term objective of AAPT is to advance the scientific understanding of chronic pain and its treatment.
authors: Departments of Anesthesiology, Neurology, and Psychiatry, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York. Electronic address: robert_dworkin@urmc.rochester.edu.
authors: Robert H
authors: RH
authors: Dworkin
authors: Department of Anesthesiology, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee.
authors: Stephen
authors: S
authors: Bruehl
authors: Pain Research and Intervention Center of Excellence, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida.
authors: Roger B
authors: RB
authors: Fillingim
authors: Department of Neurological Surgery, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors: John D
authors: JD
authors: Loeser
authors: Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors: Gregory W
authors: GW
authors: Terman
authors: Department of Anesthesiology & Pain Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
authors: Dennis C
authors: DC
authors: Turk
mesh_terms: D059350:Chronic Pain / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002965:Classification; D006801:Humans; D010147:Pain Measurement / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards*; D055818:Public-Private Sector Partnerships; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration
keywords: Chronic pain; classification; diagnostic criteria; taxonomy