Do pain characteristics guide selection for multimodal pain rehabilitation?

Objective: To determine whether self-reported painmeasures are associated with selection for multimodalor multidisciplinary rehabilitation (MMR) andwhether this selection is influenced by sex.Design: Cross-sectional cohort study.Subjects: A total of 1,226 women and 464 men withchronic pain conditions from 2 university hospitals.Methods: Drawing from the Swedish Quality Registryfor Pain Rehabilitation (SQRP), data on pain, psychologicalsymptoms, function, health, and activity/participation were collected. Multiple logistic regressionwas used to investigate association of painmeasures with selection for MMR (no/yes) aftermultidisciplinary assessment. Covariates were: age,educational level, anxiety, depression, working status,and several pain measures.Results: High pain intensity in the previous week(odds ratio (OR) 0.92; 95% confidence interval (CI)0.86–0.99) and high pain severity (MultidimensionalPain Inventory) (OR 0.83; 95% CI 0.74–0.95)were negatively associated with selection for MMR,whereas higher number of pain quadrants was positivelyassociated with selection for MMR. Similarresults were obtained for women, but none of themeasures was predictive for men.Conclusion: This practice-based study showed thathigher scores on self-reported pain were not associatedwith selection for MMR, and in women therewas a negative association for higher pain intensityand pain severity. Thus, other factors than pain determinewhether patients are selected for MMR.Funding agencies: Swedish Social Insurance Agency; REHSAM; AFA Insurance