Evaluation of a Clinical Protocol to Assess and Diagnose Neuropathic Pain During Acute Hospital Admission: Results from Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury

Bélanger LMA, Umedaly HS, Noonan VK, Park SE, Prince J, Thorogood NP, Shen T, Townson AF, Street JT, Dvorak MF, Negraeff M. Clin J Pain. 2017 Jun 12 doi: 10.1097/AJP.00000000000 00523. [Epub ahead of print] 

Summary: The purpose of this study was to find out how common neuropathic pain is and when it first occurs in patients who have recently sustained a spinal cord injury and are in the hospital. The occurrence of neuropathic pain in the Acute Spine Unit at Vancouver General Hospital was 56% of patients and the onset was first identified an average of 8 days following injury. Patients with incomplete spinal cord injuries were diagnosed with pain earlier than those with complete injuries. A new pain screening method decreased the time it took for patients to be assessed. Neuropathic pain is a secondary complication identified as an area of focus under Praxis’ Care Program. This study uses data from the Rick Hansen SCI Registry.