KEDOQ-Schmerz was developed by the German Pain Society (formerly DGSS) as a basic tool for documentation and quality management of pain therapy. It is planned to use KEDOQ-Schmerz as the data basis for nationwide, cross-sectional and independent scientific research in health services in Germany. With comparatively little effort, each participating institution (practices, pain clinics) will be able to provide quality control of their own diagnostic procedures and therapeutic effects by using benchmarking. In future KEDOQ-Schmerz will also be used as a method for external quality management in pain therapy in Germany.
The SF-36 has satisfactory to good psychometric properties in pain patients, the NHP item selection has to be improved. The FLZ-M weighting can be eliminated. The shortcomings of the SF-36 can be overcome by adding short scales on role functioning and pain (modular approach).
The efficacy of intensive interdisciplinary pain management programs for patients with chronic low back pain has been repeatedly demonstrated. A controversial issue in previous studies is the cost-effectiveness of this treatment. Between 2001 and 2006, a total of 575 patients with chronic nonspecific back pain took part in an outpatient pain management program at the German Red Cross Pain Center (DRK Schmerz-Zentrum Mainz) in Mainz, Germany. Complete follow-up data were available for 351 patients 1 year after the end of treatment and were included in the study. No differences between these patients and the dropouts were found. Pain, impairment, and mental well-being had significantly improved after 1 year. For employed patients, the number of absent days decreased to almost one-quarter. On the basis of the study by Wenig, who calculated pain-related costs as a function of Von Korff pain grades, the treatment resulted in a savings of euro 3,329.50 per year per patient. Intensive multidisciplinary treatment of chronic back pain is highly effective and, at least for patients with high levels of disability, is also cost-effective.
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