PAIN MANAGEMENT ELECTRONIC CALENDAR: PHASE 1

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this proposal is to develop and evaluate a prototype of an electronic pain software program to be distributed to physicians for patients to monitor chronic pain, symptoms and treatments. An accompanying prototype website will provide samples of customizable reports and patient education pages on pain management. Chronic pain and related symptoms afflict a third of the American population (over 80 million people). Chronic pain accounts for 21% of emergency room visits, 25% of annual missed workdays, and imposes a greater economic burden than any other disease with estimated annual costs of up to $100 billion. Pain is the primary symptom for seeking medical care. However, misunderstanding symptoms, lack of adequate treatment guidelines, and limited continuity of care result in patient and physician frustration with care. Objectives of this prototype software include: 1) Develop clinical content for the prototype diary and website based on Dr. Jamison's and NERI's electronic software and pain management experience; 2) Program the clinical content into a calendar format for easy daily entry of data with the use of pull-down screens and icons; 3) Test and evaluate the prototype software through external evaluation and comparison with a paper diary using volunteer clinic patients.