Integrative care for pediatric patients with pain.

OBJECTIVES

Although pediatric patients with chronic pain often turn to complementary therapies, little is known about patients who seek academic integrative pediatric care.

DESIGN

The study design comprised abstraction of intake forms and physician records from new patients whose primary concern was pain.

SETTING/LOCATION: The study setting was an academic pediatric clinic between January 2010 and December 2011.

SUBJECTS: Of the 110 new patients, 49 (45%) had a primary concern about headache (20), abdominal pain (18), or musculoskeletal pain (11).

RESULTS

The average age was 13±4 years, and 37% were male. Patients reported an average pain level of 6±3 on a 10-point scale, and most reported more than one kind of pain; parents had an average of 7±3 health concerns per child, including fatigue (47%), mood or anxiety (45%), constipation/diarrhea (41%), and/or sleep problems (35%). Most patients (57%) were referred by specialists; 71% were taking prescription medications; and 53% were taking one or more dietary supplements at intake. Of those tested, most (61%) had suboptimal vitamin D levels. All families wanted additional counseling about diet (76%), exercise (66%), sleep (58%), and/or stress management (81%). In addition to encouraging continued medical care (100%) and referral to other medical specialists (16%), frequent advice included continuing or initiating dietary supplements such as vitamins/minerals (80%), omega-3 fatty acids (67%), and probiotics (31%). Stress-reducing recommendations included biofeedback (33%), gratitude journals (16%), and yoga/t'ai chi (8%). Other referrals included acupuncture (24%) and massage (20%).

DISCUSSION: Patients who have chronic pain and who present to an integrative clinic frequently have complex conditions and care. They are interested in promoting a healthy lifestyle, reducing stress, and using selected complementary therapies.

CONCLUSION

Patients with chronic pain who seek integrative care may benefit from the kind of coordinated, integrated, comprehensive care provided in a medical home.