The Impact of a Nurse-Led Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Clinic on Healthcare Utilization

Aims and objectives To determine whether a nurse‐led chronic musculoskeletal pain clinic for fibromyalgia patients can reduce utilization of healthcare services. Background People with fibromyalgia often consult multiple specialities due to the vast nature of their symptoms but receive little or no help in managing their symptoms. Design A retrospective evaluation of a nurse consultant‐led chronic pain management clinic. Methods The frequency of hospital attendances in the five years before and three years after pain clinic attendance was evaluated. General practitioner (GP) attendances in the 12‐month period before and after pain clinic attendance were compared with attendances for two groups of patients from an established GP cohort: (i) patients referred to rheumatology new patient clinics and (ii) all patients with fibromyalgia referred to any hospital new patient clinic. Results In the three years following attendance at the pain clinic, the mean number of hospital appointments fell significantly from 2.8 to 1.4 per annum (p