Title: PREDICT-DOLOR VE: Protocol for a Prospective Multicenter Diagnostic Accuracy Study for the Validation of a Rule-Based Clinical Decision Support Tool for Chronic Pain Triage in a Low-Resource Setting in Venezuela

Clinical study protocol for PREDICT-DOLOR VE, a prospective multicenter diagnostic accuracy study registered in ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT07696676) and conducted across three Venezuelan referral centers. PREDICT-DOLOR VE validates a rule-based clinical decision support algorithm that integrates five validated pain assessments Instruments: Numeric Rating Scale (NRS), Douleur Neuropathique 4 (DN4; Neuropathic Pain Diagnostic Questionnaire), Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). The algorithm generates a four-level triage recommendation compared against independent specialist panel consensus (n=120; primary outcome: Cohen kappa ≥0.70). This protocol represents the first prospective validation of a structured chronic pain triage tool in a Venezuelan population and contributes to address the evidence gap for AI-adjacent clinical decision support tools in Latin American low-resource healthcare settings. Part of the Neuropain-AI Research Programme:OSF: doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/DMAZVClinicalTrials.gov: NCT07696676OSF Component: doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/75MD8PROSPERO SR1: CRD420261434015PROSPERO SR2: CRD420261437316