Associations between pain coping and opioid use: One-month follow-up results of a prospective study in a cohort of traumatic injury patients

Jordan C. Smith, BS; Christopher R. Nicholas, PhD; Scott J. Hetzel, MS; Bri M. Deyo, MPH; Randall T. Brown, MD, PhD

doi:10.5055/jom.2018.0445

Authors

Jordan C. Smith, BS
Christopher R. Nicholas, PhD
Scott J. Hetzel, MS
Bri M. Deyo, MPH
Randall T. Brown, MD, PhD

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5055/jom.2018.0445

Keywords:

opioids, pain catastrophizing, trauma, injury

Abstract

Objective: To examine associations between Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) scores and daily opioid dosage in traumatic injury patients.

Design: This was a prospective cohort study with patient assessments at baseline and 1-month following discharge.

Setting: Study visits were conducted at a Regional Level I Trauma Center and by phone at follow-up.

Patients: Forty-nine injured inpatients completed baseline PCS. A subsample of 23 patients continued to take prescribed opioid medication at 1-month postdischarge and were included in the current analyses.

Main Outcome measured: Associations between baseline PCS and morphine equivalent daily dose (MEDD) at 1-month follow-up.

Results: Controlling for baseline MEDD, baseline PCS score was positively associated with MEDD at 1-month postdischarge (β = 0.577 [0.399, 1.535]; p = 0.002; R2 of PCS = 0.395).

Conclusions: In the current sample of traumatic injury inpatients, findings indicated that a baseline measure of pain catastrophizing predicts ongoing opioid medication use and dosage at 1-month postdischarge from an inpatient trauma unit.

Author Biographies

Jordan C. Smith, BS

Medical Student, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin

Christopher R. Nicholas, PhD

Faculty, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin

Scott J. Hetzel, MS

Biostatistician, Department of Biostatistics and Medical Informatics, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, Wisconsin

Bri M. Deyo, MPH

Research Project Coordinator, Department of Family Medicine and Public Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin

Randall T. Brown, MD, PhD

Associate Professor, Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin

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