Chronic Pain in Children Seen in a Rheumatology Clinic: Healthcare Utilization Patterns

• Full citation: Tian F, Guittar P, Bout-Tabaku SM. Chronic Pain in Children Seen at a Rheumatology Clinic: Healthcare Utilization Patterns [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10).

• Principal Investigator for CMRF Grant Award: Sharon Bout-Tabaku

• Conclusions: “Children with chronic musculoskeletal (MSK) pain are undiagnosed for greater than 12 months and utilize multiple health services, undergo diagnostic testing and use several medications resulting in high costs even before diagnosis. Our estimate is likely an underestimate as our data only represented data from one site when many of children are being seen in multiple health care systems. Healthcare providers must be attuned to this diagnosis in patients with a long history of chronic MSK pain, high pain scores, and who are seen frequently by healthcare professionals.”