Rui V Duarte1, Sarah Nevitt2, Rachel Houten2, Morag Brookes3, Jill Bell4, Jenny Earle4, Rod S Taylor5, Sam Eldabe3. 1. Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group, Department of Health Data Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. Electronic address: rui.duarte@liverpool.ac.uk. 2. Liverpool Reviews and Implementation Group, Department of Health Data Science, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK. 3. Department of Pain Medicine, The James Cook University Hospital, Middlesbrough, UK. 4. Patient and Public Involvement Representatives, Middlesbrough, UK. 5. College of Medicine and Health, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; MRC/CSO Social and Public Health Sciences Unit & Robertson Centre for Biostatistics, Institute of Health and Well Being, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a recognized intervention for the management of chronic neuropathic pain. The United Kingdom National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has recommended SCS as a management option for chronic neuropathic pain since 2008. The aim of this study is to undertake an assessment of SCS uptake across the National Health Service in England up to 2020. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospital Episode Statistics were obtained for patients with neuropathic pain potentially eligible for SCS and patients receiving an SCS-related procedure. Data were retrieved nationally and per region from the years 2010-2011 to 2019-2020. RESULTS: There were 50,288 adults in England attending secondary care with neuropathic pain in 2010-2011, increasing to 66,376 in 2019-2020. The number of patients with neuropathic pain with an SCS procedure increased on a year-to-year basis until 2018-2019. However, less than 1% of people with neuropathic pain received an SCS device with no evidence of an increase over time when considering the background increase in neuropathic pain prevalence. CONCLUSION: Only a small proportion of patients in England with neuropathic pain potentially eligible for SCS receives this intervention. The recommendation for routine use of SCS for management of neuropathic pain has not resulted in an uptake of SCS over the last decade.
OBJECTIVES: Spinal cord stimulation (SCS) is a recognized intervention for the management of chronic neuropathic pain. The United Kingdom National Institute of Health and Care Excellence has recommended SCS as a management option for chronic neuropathic pain since 2008. The aim of this study is to undertake an assessment of SCS uptake across the National Health Service in England up to 2020. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Hospital Episode Statistics were obtained for patients with neuropathic pain potentially eligible for SCS and patients receiving an SCS-related procedure. Data were retrieved nationally and per region from the years 2010-2011 to 2019-2020. RESULTS: There were 50,288 adults in England attending secondary care with neuropathic pain in 2010-2011, increasing to 66,376 in 2019-2020. The number of patients with neuropathic pain with an SCS procedure increased on a year-to-year basis until 2018-2019. However, less than 1% of people with neuropathic pain received an SCS device with no evidence of an increase over time when considering the background increase in neuropathic pain prevalence. CONCLUSION: Only a small proportion of patients in England with neuropathic pain potentially eligible for SCS receives this intervention. The recommendation for routine use of SCS for management of neuropathic pain has not resulted in an uptake of SCS over the last decade.
Authors: Rui V Duarte; Rachel Houten; Sarah Nevitt; Morag Brookes; Jill Bell; Jenny Earle; Ashish Gulve; Simon Thomson; Ganesan Baranidharan; Richard B North; Rod S Taylor; Sam Eldabe Journal: Front Pain Res (Lausanne) Date: 2022-09-06