When to Decide on In- or Outpatient Pain Treatment?

Abstract

For many children experiencing chronic pain, effective treatment is possible in an outpatient setting. However, for children with a pain disorder that severely affects the patient’s and his/her family’s life (frequently missing school; social withdrawal), an inpatient interdisciplinary pain treatment is indicated. In this chapter, we first discuss the criteria used to determine the need and usefulness of inpatient pain treatment, then we discuss contraindications.