Clinical Outcomes, Cost-Effectiveness, and the Role of Psychology in Treatments for Chronic Pain Sufferers.

Millions of people throughout the world suffer from chronic pain despite significant advances in research, technology, and treatment. Advances include the understanding of the neurobiology of nociception, the psychology of pain perception and response, and the availability of a range of pharmacological agents, operative procedures, physical modalities (e.g., ultrasound, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, diathermy), regional anesthesia (e.g., nerve blocks), neuroaugmentation modalities (e.g., spinal cord stimulators, implantable drug delivery systems), comprehensive pain rehabilitation programs, and complementary and alternative medicine modalities. The authors discuss the clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of these various treatment modalities. They note the roles and contributions of psychologists in the assessment of chronic pain sufferers and as treatment providers on interdisciplinary teams.