Failure of a predictive scale in identifying patients who may benefit from a pain management program: follow-up data.

A 7-item scale to identify patients who may benefit from a pain management program was prospectively studied. The patient group consisted of 217 patients. The duration of follow-up was 2-3 years. Although an item-by-item analysis revealed some differences between successes, partial successes, and failures, the overlap was such that the total score was not predictive of outcome. Although this finding precludes clinical use of the 7-item scale in its present form, future modifications are suggested that may improve its predictive ability.