We used data from two sources: 1) Stepped Care for Affective Disorders and Musculoskeletal Pain (SCAMP), a longitudinal study that enrolled a total of 500 patients with chronic musculoskeletal pain, and 2) Helping Veterans Experience Less Pain (HELP-vets), a cross-sectional study of 646 veterans receiving care at VA clinics. We used data from Study 1 to develop and initially validate the ultra-brief measure and data from Study 2 to confirm reliability and validity in an independent patient population.
Study 1 (SCAMP) enrolled 500 primary care patients with persistent back, hip, or knee pain of at least moderate severity, 250 of whom had concurrent depression.18 (link) Participants were recruited from university ( = 300) and VA-affiliated ( = 200) internal medicine clinics in Indianapolis. Patients with concurrent depression were enrolled in a trial of depression and pain treatment vs. usual care ( = 250). Those without depression were followed in a parallel observational study ( = 250). The mean age of SCAMP participants was 59 years; 52% were women, 58% were white, and 38% were black. The mean numeric rating of current pain (on a 0–10 scale) was 6.1 (SD 1.9) at baseline.
Study 2 (HELP-vets) enrolled a random visit-based sample of 646 veterans from ambulatory care clinics at two VA hospitals and six affiliated community sites in three urban California counties. Patients with chronic illness were over-sampled by design. The mean age was 63 years and 95% were male. Self-reported race/ethnicity was 54% white, 30% black, and 10% Latino. Sixty-one percent of participants reported pain at the time of enrollment and 63% had one or more pain diagnoses (33% back pain, 45% other musculoskeletal pain, 12% neuropathic pain, 5% headache). The mean rating of current pain (on a 0–10 scale) was 3.1 (SD 3.2) overall and 5.1 (SD 2.6) among those with pain.
Study 1 (SCAMP) enrolled 500 primary care patients with persistent back, hip, or knee pain of at least moderate severity, 250 of whom had concurrent depression.18 (link) Participants were recruited from university ( = 300) and VA-affiliated ( = 200) internal medicine clinics in Indianapolis. Patients with concurrent depression were enrolled in a trial of depression and pain treatment vs. usual care ( = 250). Those without depression were followed in a parallel observational study ( = 250). The mean age of SCAMP participants was 59 years; 52% were women, 58% were white, and 38% were black. The mean numeric rating of current pain (on a 0–10 scale) was 6.1 (SD 1.9) at baseline.
Study 2 (HELP-vets) enrolled a random visit-based sample of 646 veterans from ambulatory care clinics at two VA hospitals and six affiliated community sites in three urban California counties. Patients with chronic illness were over-sampled by design. The mean age was 63 years and 95% were male. Self-reported race/ethnicity was 54% white, 30% black, and 10% Latino. Sixty-one percent of participants reported pain at the time of enrollment and 63% had one or more pain diagnoses (33% back pain, 45% other musculoskeletal pain, 12% neuropathic pain, 5% headache). The mean rating of current pain (on a 0–10 scale) was 3.1 (SD 3.2) overall and 5.1 (SD 2.6) among those with pain.
