Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40932157›Full record

Observational studyPrimary health care research & development2025

From acute to chronic: the PREVENT protocol for understanding pain progression after emergency department visits.

Michael Ray, Andrew C Meltzer, Timothy C McCall, Keith Meldrum

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Primary health care research & development, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Michael RayDepartment of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5224-6959
Andrew C MeltzerDepartment of Emergency Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-5971-8314
Timothy C McCallDepartment of Clinical Research and Leadership, The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Washington, District of Columbia, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-9275-1842
Keith MeldrumUnaffiliated, Kelowna, BC, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3154-7116

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimThe Pain Recognition and Evaluation to Validate Effective Neck and back Treatment (PREVENT) study aims to identify cognitive, behavioral, and treatmentrelated predictors of chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) development following emergency department (ED) care for acute neck or back pain after trauma.

backgroundCMP is a leading cause of global disability, yet early risk factors for its development remain poorly characterized, particularly in ED settings. This prospective observational study will recruit 246 adult patients presenting with acute (≤ 4 weeks) neck or back pain after a recent trauma. Pain beliefs - measured using pain and attitude questionnaires - serve as the primary independent variable. Mediating variables include catastrophic thinking, fear-avoidance behaviors, low physical activity, poor recovery expectations, and low self-efficacy for pain management. Covariates include demographics, social determinants of health, mental health disorders, and high-risk substance use. The primary outcome is the presence of CMP at six months, defined as pain on most or every day for at least three months. Participants will complete follow-ups at 1, 3, and 6 months. Multivariable logistic regression, mediation analyses, and interaction testing will explore effects of pain beliefs on CMP development. As a secondary aim, a subset of participants will complete Think Aloud cognitive interviews to assess response process validity for the Neck Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Neck-PAQ), a region-specific adaptation of the Back Pain Attitude Questionnaire, analyzed using a deductive content analysis framework. DISCUSSION: This study is among the first to investigate the cognitive and behavioral predictors of pain chronification in the ED. Ethical approval has been obtained from The George Washington University Institutional Review Board. Findings will inform the design of targeted, ED-based screening and intervention strategies, including adaptation of a pain-specific Screening, Brief Intervention, and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) model. Results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conferences, and stakeholder engagement.

Indexed as

Acute PainBack PainChronic PainEmergency Service, HospitalMusculoskeletal PainNeck PainAdultDisease ProgressionEmergency Room VisitsFemaleHumansMaleMiddle AgedPain MeasurementProspective StudiesRisk FactorsAcute painemergency medicinelow back painneck painprevention

Identifiers

PMID40932157
PMCPMC12455241

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.