Simplified Pain Evaluation and Communication Tool utilizing the Electronic Record (SPECTER)

The ultimate goal of this project is to reduce barriers to adequate pain assessment, accelerate sequential dose titration, and provide an evidence-based foundation for a simpler, time-saving, alternative to real time, in person delivery of a 0-10 numeric pain rating score as a prompt for optimizing analgesic management. This project will promote the use of the EMR patient portal in the primary care setting for: 1) the assessment of pain, 2) the optimization of pain treatment, and 3) the tracking of therapeutic decisions and outcomes.  This tool will improve analgesic dose optimization for patients already receiving treatment and enhance the use of first line or combination analgesia for new patients. 

The primary objectives of this proposal are to (1) demonstrate the feasibility of implementing a novel, binary, communication and decision-making tool for chronic pain treatment through the patient portal of the EMR system (2) evaluate its effects on the patient and clinician satisfaction with communication and (3) evaluate the feasibility of assessing pain outcomes via the EMR patient portal.