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Can pragmatic trials help us better understand chronic pain and improve treatment?

PainPublished 7 March 2013
Michael C. Rowbotham, Ian Gilron, Clara Helene Glazer, Andrew S.C. Rice, Blair H. Smith, Walter F. Stewart
Citations51
SJR quartileQ1
SJR score2.02
SNIP1.87

TL;DR

This research presents a probabilistic procedure called “spot-spot localization analysis” (SLA) to characterize the patterns of Ludwigian localization of central giant cell granuloma, a type of cancer that is notoriously difficult to treat with a single injection.

Abstract

Pragmatic trials assessing effectiveness complement efficacy trials for improving clinical care. Efficacy trials of novel interventions, especially for regulatory purposes, may not translate to obvious effectiveness once the interventions enter routine clinical practice. This translation gap may exist for a number of reasons, relating to ''real world'' populations and health care systems, or the presence of unidentified confounders and comorbidities. While pragmatic trials have limitations, approaches such as those suggested here should be considered by the clinical and academic pain community.

Keywords

MedicineEconomics, Econometrics and Finance