Screening protocol could identify candidates for neuromodulation therapies who could skip a formal in-person psychological assessment<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n
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FRIDAY, Dec. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) — A protocol could identify candidates who do not require formal in-person psychological assessment for workup of neuromodulation therapies for pain, according to a study presented at the 20th Annual Pain Medicine Meeting, a meeting of the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine, held from Nov. 18 to 20 in San Francisco.<\/p>\n
Fung Ping Wong, from Toronto Western Hospital, and colleagues compared the outcomes of neuromodulation trials and implants in patients who bypassed an in-person psychological assessment (fast-track cohort; 57 participants) versus those who had the assessment (114 participants). The fast-track protocol incorporates a short mental health checklist and predefined cutoffs for validated questionnaires, with patients screening positive for unresolved psychological conditions undergoing an in-person psychological assessment.<\/p>\n
The researchers found that 72 percent of patients having the psychological assessment and 70 percent in the fast-track group had a successful spinal cord stimulation trial. At six to 12 months following the implant (78 patients with follow-up data), 48.15 percent of patients in the fast-track group and 47.06 percent of patients receiving the psychological assessment had \u00e2\u0089\u00a530 percent reduction in pain scores from preimplant levels. <\/p>\n
“An algorithm incorporating predefined thresholds on validated questionnaires and a mental health checklist can be used to identify patients who do not need a formal in-person psychological assessment without a negative impact on outcomes of neuromodulation therapies for pain,” the authors write. “This can help reduce wait times and optimize utilization of health care resources.”<\/p>\n
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