Session Information
Session Title: AA 2021 Virtual Posters - Pain and Spine Medicine
Session Time: None. Available on demand.
Disclosures: Krupali Chokshi, MD: No financial relationships or conflicts of interest
Objective: The authors seek to describe the Point To the Area of Pain (PTAP) test, establish a consensus regarding its utility and validity, and discuss how the PTAP test can provide data to improve the accuracy, quality and outcome of a patient’s virtual visit.
Design: A cross-sectional descriptive design was used.Setting : An online survey was sent to health care professionals nationally.Participants : We surveyed health care professionals (MD, DO, NP) from a variety of specialties including family medicine, internal medicine, neurology, rehabilitation, anesthesiology, orthopedic surgery, pain medicine and neurosurgery who are engaged in telemedicine, regarding the perceived utility of the PTAP test.
Interventions: No interventions were used during this survey-based study.
Main Outcome Measures: Participants (n=61) were asked about their primary specialty, experience level, how many patients with chronic pain they see and how often they use telemedicine to conduct their clinical encounters. They were asked to rate their ability and comfort level in evaluating pain patients via telemedicine and conducting a virtual musculoskeletal exam. Lastly, they were asked about the PTAP test and whether they thought it was clinically relevant to management.
Results: Respondents were predominantly PM&R trained (47.5%), Anesthesiology (23%), Neurology (13.1%), Family medicine (11.5%), Orthopedic surgery (1.6%) and Neurosurgery (1.6%). Most participants (41%) had over 5 years of clinical experience. The majority of respondents (67.2%) reported that >75% of the patients they treat present with pain; many over telemedicine. When asked how comfortable providers were in performing a virtual musculoskeletal exam, 50.8% responded “somewhat comfortable” and 29.5% were not comfortable. 65.5% of providers ask patients to PTAP as most (88.5%) agree or strongly agree that this test provides clinically relevant information.Conclusions: The PTAP test is a useful tool that can help provide a clear and concise approach to a virtual physical exam in the context of assessing pain.
Level of Evidence: Level V
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Chokshi K, Yih C, Chokshi K, Kyriakides CP, Seko KT, Hascalovici J. Point to Area of Pain: New Utility of an Old Clinically Useful Test for Focal Musculoskeletal Pain [abstract]. PM R. 2021; 13(S1)(suppl 1). https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/point-to-area-of-pain-new-utility-of-an-old-clinically-useful-test-for-focal-musculoskeletal-pain/. Accessed November 21, 2024.« Back to AAPM&R Annual Assembly 2021
PM&R Meeting Abstracts - https://pmrjabstracts.org/abstract/point-to-area-of-pain-new-utility-of-an-old-clinically-useful-test-for-focal-musculoskeletal-pain/