A two-week inpatient programme with a booster improved long-term management of severe chronic paediatric pain

Abstract

In the context of limited healthcare resources and increasing demands for more cost-effective healthcare solutions, this study assessed the short- and long-term clinical outcomes and resource utilization of a two-week inpatient, interdisciplinary, pain treatment (IIPT) including individual and group cognitive behavioural, occupational, physical and recreational therapy, education and family intervention and a booster in the chronic paediatric pain setting. Using a longitudinal design with a two-year follow-up, two-week IIPT resulted in sustainable improvements in mean and maximum pain intensity, physical functioning and internalization and reductions in the mean number of medical visits, school absence and frequency of pain medication at year 2 following IIPT. While pain-related disability scores did not improve, problem-focused coping became more prevalent, and patient and parent-assessed satisfaction as well as pain experience continued to improve throughout the study. Our results demonstrate that a two-week IIPT with a booster confers meaningful short- and long-term improvements in clinical outcomes and resource utilization among paediatric patients with severe chronic pain.