Psychosocial Characteristics of Candidates for Implantable Pain Devices: Validation of an Assessment Model

Aim: To provide a detailed profile of Veteran and community patients with chronic pain who completed preprocedural psychological evaluations for implantable pain devices. Patients & methods: A total of 157 candidates completed a preimplantable pain device evaluation between June 2018 and October 2019 with a pain psychologist that included a structured interview, elicitation of patient-centered goals for the implantable device, and psychometric testing. Results: Candidates demonstrated moderate to high rates of sleep impairment (73%), depressive symptoms (62%), anxiety symptoms (61%), pain catastrophizing (37%), cognitive impairment screen (30%) and somatic symptoms (24%). Conclusion: Candidates for implantable pain devices report high rates of mood, sleep and cognitive impairment, reinforcing the value of preprocedural psychological evaluations.