ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is a debilitating condition that affects people all over the world. To effectively treat chronic pain patients, assignment to patient-centered functional restoration and psychological pain rehabilitation programs at an early stage is essential. METHODS: This article describes the initial patient screening and evaluation process for an interdisciplinary chronic pain rehabilitation program and highlights the relevant points that should be covered in each section of the initial assessment. RESULTS: A thorough, detailed history that includes an evaluation of the patient's pain, functional limitations, prior medications, prior procedures/interventions, substance abuse, and psychiatric disorders, as well as the patient's social, legal, and developmental histories, are key to the proper screening and appropriate treatment of patients with chronic pain. CONCLUSION: Thorough initial evaluation of patients is essential for proper enrollment in a chronic pain rehabilitation program. Such programs allow early treatment and reduce unnecessary health costs. Future prospective studies are needed to identify additional screening methods and triage tools to allow early admission of appropriate patients to these rehabilitation programs.
ABSTRACT
Although many older adults with serious psychiatric illnesses share common concerns, such as medical comorbidity, personal loss, greater propensity for adverse medication effects, and greater dependence on others for basic needs such as transportation, individualized treatment needs must be differentiated by underlying psychiatric disorders. This retrospective study evaluated clinical characteristics and resource use among 137 older adults with bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, depression, and dementia who were discharged from an urban, academic medical center's inpatient geropsychiatric unit. The authors found women to be significantly overrepresented among individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder compared to those with bipolar disorder, depression, and dementia (P=.034). Among those with bipolar disorder, anticonvulsant medications were predominantly used as mood stabilizers, with only the rare use of lithium. Individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder were the youngest group of patients; individuals with dementia were the oldest group (P<.001). This shows significant differences in clinical characteristics among hospitalized older adults with serious mental illnesses. Additional studies are needed on outcomes of serious chronic psychiatric illnesses in later life to optimize care environments for older adult psychiatric patients.
