Chronic Pain

This section contains information on the Chronic Pain Battery™ assessment and management instrument and on the downloadable audio educational program for clinicians “The Chronic Pain Patient: Theory, Evaluation and Treatment.”  

The Chronic Pain Battery™

What is it?  A self-administered, multi-dimensional assessment and management tool for chronic pain evaluation and treatment. 

Who uses it?  The CPB was developed for physicians, dentists, psychologists, and specialists in chronic pain evaluation and treatment.  Since 1982 it has been employed in pain centers across the U.S. including numerous university and private pain clinics, hospitals, schools of medicine and dentistry, mental health and rehabilitation centers, industry and private practices.  Clinicians frequently use it for consultative, worker’s compensation and disability evaluations.  

What does it do?  The CPB takes a comprehensive pain history and performs a medical, psychological, behavioral and social assessment, including a psychological screening using the widely recognized SCL-90.  It examines the many subtle issues necessary for successful treatment and management, and makes appropriate recommendations.  It save valuable clinical time by collecting, analyzing and integrating the vast amount of relevant information necessary for a thorough evaluation of the chronic pain patient.

How does it achieve such high accuracy, reliability and clinical relevance?  Highly diverse data collection and measurement techniques are combined with a logic system built into the scoring program that mimics how a highly trained pain specialist would behave in a similar situation. The information collected, the manner in which it is analyzed, integrated and used, and the diagnostic impressions, formulations and recommendations to act are all designed to exemplify the actions of a well trained clinician. Data collection methods and analysis are designed to detect and minimize patient bias, and include frequent cross-checking for internal consistency, random, confused or non-responding.

When to use it?  For evaluation of outpatients and inpatients having chronic or recurrent pain problems such as headache, facial and TM disorder pain, back or extremity pain whether or not a physical cause has been identified.  Often used as part of the initial evaluation of a patient with chronic pain.  Useful when a comprehensive assessment is needed and when a guide to evaluation and management is desirable, especially in complex cases.  Ideal for disability, worker’s compensation and consultative evaluations involving chronic pain. 

Testimonial:  “I began using the Chronic Pain Battery over 20 years ago. This instrument is an invaluable tool for both diagnostic impressions and treatment plan development. My clients are looking for ways to assist in their recovery and the CPB gives them concrete steps in the recommendation section.”
   --Dr. S.A. Edwards Recovery Counselling, Inc Fort Mojave, AZ  

NEW USERS:  To Register for your new account now and receive One (1) FREE CPB test scoring >click here

Essential Facts:

Used with:
Reading Level:
Time for Completion:
Administration Formats:

Individuals 18 years and older
8th grade
1 hour
Paper-and-pencil

Report Format:

• Validity Statement-level of report confidence, overall level of symptom and psychological distress effecting test taking stance
• Summary - a brief interpreted overview of the results
• Review of Recommendations from the report
• Narrative interpretive – detailed description of results and recommendations
• Problem Ratings- before pain presence and presently

To see a sample Chronic Pain Battery Report ™ >Click here

Scoring Method:

Categories Reported:

On-line

• Test validity and patient reporting style
• Summary of Results and Recommendations Review
• Demographic and Social History
• Past and Present Pain History
• Pain Description and Intensity Ratings
• Pain Treatment History
• Medication and Drug History
• Medical History
• Personality-Pain Coping Style
• Patient Goals
• Psychosocial Factors
  • Stress
  • Psychological Dysfunction
  • Depression
    
  • Somatization
    
  • Anxiety
  • Thought Disorder
• Support System and Interpersonal Relationships
  • Relationship with Health Providers
• Behavioral – Learning Factors
  • Prior Models
  • Litigation-Compensation
  • Illness Behavior Reinforcement
  • Activity
• Patient Expectations and Goals
• Patient Problem Ratings

• An extremely comprehensive, multi-dimensional assessment and analysis of the chronic pain patient
• Provides both an overview of a patient’s clinical status in all relevant areas in addition to a highly detailed analysis of their symptoms and level of function
• Produces key recommendations for further assessment and management
• Helps the clinician collect and organize the extensive amount of information necessary to properly evaluate complex pain problems and facilitates treatment and management decisions with specific recommendations. 
• Combines extensive patient history, relevant immediate information about perception, belief and function with psychological screening data to produce a clear, well rounded and clinically meaningful analysis.
  
• Produces a fully interpreted and clearly written narrative report ready to read and apply.
• A time saving self-reporting instrument with multiple choice and true/false questions.

NEW USERS:  To Register for your new account now and receive One (1) FREE CPB test scoring >click here

“The Chronic Pain Patient: Theory, Evaluation and Treatment”

by Stephen R. Levitt, MD, PhD

Download this audio educational program (MP3 format compatible with both PC and Mac) for clinicians who evaluate and treat patients with chronic pain. 

This 7 ½ hour audio teaching program was designed for immediate clinical impact.  This program is directed to the individual practitioner.

In 1983 Pain Resource Center published this audio educational training program to help clinicians who treat patients with chronic pain.  Over the years, in spite of many changes in this field, most of the content in this course has been highly regarded by clinicians across the U.S. as both comprehensive and extremely clinically relevant to this day.  Some of the content in course topics including neurochemistry, pharmacology and psychiatric diagnostic categories is no longer current.  However, although this field has progressed over the years in many ways, the fundamental core principals in understanding the complexities involved and in thoroughly evaluating and treating these patients has remained essentially the same.  We have therefore decided to digitize and re-publish this classic program, written and narrated by Stephen R. Levitt, MD, PhD, and make it available once again in a format that can be downloaded to a computer and thereby available to a large audience.

This teaching course is like a consultant that brings to your practice the multidisciplinary approach needed for successful assessment and management of the chronic pain patient.  Well organized and clearly presented, this program presents a systematic approach to the medical, psychological and socio-behavioral problems confronting the clinician who treats patients with chronic pain.  It teaches how to recognize and deal with many important problem areas, and how to avoid many common pitfalls often encountered when trying to help patients with chronic pain. 

A partial list of topics covered includes: 

• Definition and measurement of pain
• Clinical course of chronic pain
• Taking a pain history
• Activity levels
• Mental status exam
• Behavioral evaluation
• Psychological testing
• Conversion disorder
• Pain management principles
• Anxiety disorders
• General principals of evaluation
• Referral
• Stress management
• Therapeutic contract
• Psychotherapy
• TENS
• Biofeedback and relaxation exercises
• The Doctor-Patient relationship

• Drug abuse
• Depression
• Malingering
• Social and sexual history
• Locus of control
• Stress evaluation
• Schizophrenic and paranoid disorders
• Treatment goals
• Behavioral approaches
• Hypochondriasis
• Employment and compensation issues
• Activity Program
• Managing psychosocial factors
• Pharmacology
• Nerve blocks
• Acupuncture
• Hypnosis
• …………and much more

Testimonials:
“Very comprehensive…..can be used as a guide to treatment.” 
Kenneth Sugioka, MD
Anesthesiology

“A truly well-done, much needed resource for the busy clinician.” 
Ernest Small, DDS, MS
Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery

“…very clinically oriented.  Theoretical information is well integrated with clinical application.  A highly
professional, first-rate production.”
Timothy Toomey, PhD
Psychology

“…this course fills in the missing essential knowledge required to treat chronic pain….especially useful for
dentists who treat TMJ disorders.”
Thomas Lundeen, DDS, MS
Dentistry

“…such clarity that even those unfamiliar with the subject can easily follow the presentation.  Should be
required…for any dentist undertaking treatment of TMJ syndrome.”
Sharon Turner, DDS
Dentistry      

Note:  When you purchase this audio program you can listen to it on-line or download and save it.  It is compatible with a variety of audio players including Windows Media Player, Quicktime, itunes or any standard MP3 playback device. 

Please note that because this program is not returnable, when you place your order it is final and not refundable.

The contents of the MP3 download "The Chronic Pain Patient: Theory, Evaluation and Treatment" by Stephen R. Levitt, MD, PhD is copyright Pain Resource Center, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

To order “The Chronic Pain Patient: Theory, Evaluation and Treatment” in an MP3 file set >click here

©2008 Pain Resource Center, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.