Secondary analysis of paediatric chronic pain team service data
This study focuses on children in West Sussex who experience long-lasting pain in their muscles, joints, or bones. This type of pain, called chronic musculoskeletal pain, affects many children and can make everyday life difficult. Usually, children are first seen by doctors and physiotherapists. If that doesn't help, they might go to a specialist team of doctors, physiotherapists, and psychologists. Researchers are looking at past, anonymous information collected by the Paediatric Chronic Pain Team in West Sussex between 2014 and 2024. They want to find out how many children developed this kind of pain each year and learn more about who they are. The study doesn't involve any new tests or treatments for participants, as it only uses information that's already been gathered. The aim is to help improve ways to prevent, identify, and treat chronic pain in children in the future.
At a glance
What is this study about?
This study is looking into a problem called chronic musculoskeletal pain in children. Chronic pain means pain that has lasted for three months or more, and musculoskeletal means it affects muscles, joints, or bones. This kind of pain can make it hard for children to do everyday things like go to school, play with friends, or do hobbies. In the UK, if initial treatments like seeing a doctor or physiotherapist don't help, children might be referred to a special team made up of different experts, such as doctors, physiotherapists, and psychologists. This team works together to provide complete care.
The researchers want to understand more about the children who come to these specialist services. They will be looking at existing, anonymous information that was collected by the Paediatric Chronic Pain Team in West Sussex between January 2014 and December 2024. This information includes details from questionnaires and physical tests. By looking at this data, the study hopes to find out how many children living in West Sussex are diagnosed with long-lasting muscle, joint, or bone pain each year, and what their characteristics are. They are particularly interested in seeing how these numbers and characteristics might have changed over the 11-year period.
It's important to know that this study doesn't involve asking children to do anything new or different. It's called a 'secondary analysis' because it uses information that has already been collected for routine care and has been made anonymous (so no one can be identified). The main goal of this research is to gain new knowledge that can help improve how we prevent, recognise, and treat chronic musculoskeletal pain in children, making a real difference to their lives.
Key takeaways
- This study uses existing, anonymous medical records from children with long-term pain.
- It aims to understand how many children in West Sussex get chronic musculoskeletal pain and who they are.
- No child or family has to do anything new to be part of this study.
- The information helps improve future care for children with chronic pain.
- All data is made completely anonymous to protect privacy.
Who may be eligible?
This study looks at information from children who were assessed by the specialist Paediatric Chronic Pain Team in West Sussex when they were 17 years old or younger. They must have been diagnosed with chronic musculoskeletal pain, which means their pain in muscles, joints, or bones had lasted for more than three months.
This includes children with two types of chronic pain: 'chronic secondary pain', which means their pain is linked to a known health problem, and 'chronic primary pain', where the pain isn't clearly caused by another medical condition. The records used in the study were collected between 2014 and 2024.
The study does not include children who live outside West Sussex, or those who had already been seen by the team for the same pain before. It also leaves out children who needed more medical checks at the time of their assessment, or those whose muscle, joint, or bone pain had already gone away.
- Is your child 17 years old or younger?
- Was your child assessed by the Paediatric Chronic Pain Team in West Sussex?
- Does/did your child have muscle, joint, or bone pain that lasted for more than 3 months?
- Was your child's assessment between January 2014 and December 2024?
- Does your child live in West Sussex?
This is a guide only — the research team will confirm whether you can take part.
What does participation involve?
Taking part in this study means that your child's past, anonymous health information will be used for research. You or your child won't need to do anything new. There are no extra appointments, tests, medications, or follow-up visits involved. The study simply uses information that was already collected by the Paediatric Chronic Pain Team in West Sussex as part of their usual care. This information will be made completely anonymous before researchers look at it, so no one will know whose data belongs to whom.
Potential risks and benefits
Locations (1)
- University Hospitals Sussex NHS Foundation TrustWorthing, England
Common questions
What is chronic musculoskeletal pain?
It's pain in muscles, joints, or bones that has lasted for three months or more.
Who is running this study?
The study is being run from the University of Southampton in the UK.
Will my child have to do anything new for this study?
No, your child will not have to do anything new. The study only uses existing, anonymous information.
When did the data for this study come from?
The data was collected between January 2014 and December 2024.
Will my child's information be kept private?
Yes, all data used in the study will be made completely anonymous, so your child cannot be identified.
How to find out more
Rhiannon Joslin
Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.
Discussion
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