Development and Implementation of a Registry of Patients Attending Multidisciplinary Pain Treatment Clinics: The Quebec Pain Registry

Abstract

The Quebec Pain Registry (QPR) is a large research database of patients suffering from various chronic pain (CP) syndromes who were referred to one of five tertiary care centres in the province of Quebec (Canada). Patients were monitored using common demographics, identical clinical descriptors, and uniform validated outcomes. This paper describes the development, implementation, and research potential of the QPR. Between 2008 and 2013, 6902 patients were enrolled in the QPR, and data were collected prior to their first visit at the pain clinic and six months later. More than 90% of them (mean age ± SD: 52.76 ± 4.60, females: 59.1%) consented that their QPR data be used for research purposes. The results suggest that, compared to patients with serious chronic medical disorders, CP patients referred to tertiary care clinics are more severely impaired in multiple domains including emotional and physical functioning. The QPR is also a powerful and comprehensive tool for conducting research in a “real-world” context with 27 observational studies and satellite research projects which have been completed or are underway. It contains data on the clinical evolution of thousands of patients and provides the opportunity of answering important research questions on various aspects of CP (or specific pain syndromes) and its management.

As if one pain problem was not enough: prevalence and patterns of coexisting chronic pain conditions and their impact on treatment outcomes

“…The QPR is a large clinical administrative and research database that was implemented to monitor patients’ pain conditions over the course of treatment in one of four MPT centers in the province of Quebec (Canada). 26 Patients enrolled in the QPR were aged 18 years and older, scheduled for a first visit at one of the participating centers, fluent in spoken and written French and/or English, and physically and cognitively able to complete questionnaires. Patients already enrolled in another registry (eg, fibromyalgia registry at one of the participating sites) were not approached.…”

Effectiveness of long-term opioid therapy among chronic non-cancer pain patients attending multidisciplinary pain treatment clinics: A Quebec Pain Registry study

“…Participants were recruited from the Quebec Pain Registry (QPR), which is a vast database of patients referred to university-affiliated multidisciplinary pain treatment clinics in the province of Quebec, Canada. 29 Patients were enrolled in the QPR between October 2008 and November 2014 if they were (1) scheduled for a first visit at the pain clinic for multidisciplinary treatment considerations, (2) aged 18 years or more, (3) fluent in spoken and written French and/or English, and (4) physically and cognitively able to complete questionnaires. Biopsychosocial data were collected prior to the initial visit at the pain clinic (baseline) and 6 months later.…”

Neuropathic Pain Registries Improve Pain Management and Provide More Efficacious Planning of Healthcare Services

“…The above registry constitutes a comprehensive tool for conducting research in a ''real-world'' context. It contains data on the clinical evolution of thousands of patients and provides the opportunity of answering important research questions on various aspects of CP (or specific pain syndromes) and its management [17]. Another pain registry that was established in 2015 in Denmark, the PainData, aims to assist clinical decision-making, and facilitate quality assurance and research projects to improve understanding and optimize treatment of patients with chronic pain [18].…”