Economic evaluation of multidisciplinary pain management in chronic pain patients: a qualitative systematic review.

In this qualitative systematic review, we have evaluated studies of the economic effectiveness of multidisciplinary pain treatment in chronic non-malignant pain patients. Published reports were identified from a systematic search of bibliographic databases (MEDLINE and EMBASE) and reference lists of retrieved reports. Fourteen reports of nine studies of patients suffering from back pain, fibromyalgia, and mixed chronic pain conditions were considered to be appropriate as economic analyses. In the selected studies, we found serious methodological problems in study designs and application of outcome measures. The quality of the cost measurements was characterized by an apparent lack of tradition using economic methodology. This review does not give an answer to whether multidisciplinary pain management in chronic pain patients is cost-effective or not. Application of standard methods of costing and outcome measurement are essential before studies of cost-effectiveness in multidisciplinary pain treatment can be used in decision-making and planning.