3dEnergy Gun Outcome Tool Workshop Summary

Summary:

Nick Hodgson introduced a new self-rated pain outcome tool designed to holistically measure the effectiveness of treatments, such as the 3D energy gun, which requires patients to mark localized and regional pain areas on a body chart and assign severity scores from 0 to 10. The tool is recommended for completion before treatment and then again on the seventh and thirteenth visits for comparison, with the total pain score calculated by summing the number of painful locations, total severity score, and a size rating for the pain area. Nick Hodgson also emphasized the critical requirement of obtaining a signed consent form from patients for the use of their information in case studies and research, allowing for three ways the form can be filled out: self-completion, being coached by the practitioner, or delegating the task to a trained staff member.

Details:

Introduction to the Pain Outcome Tool: Nick Hodgson introduced a simple, self-rated, pain-based outcome tool developed to measure the effectiveness of treatment, specifically for the 3D energy gun, but adaptable for any treatment. The purpose of this tool is to provide a more holistic or global measure of a person's pain and discomfort. They emphasized the desire for users to share their outcomes to build a compiled outcome database.

Tool Administration and Scoring: Nick Hodgson explained the tool requires patients to mark localized pain with a cross and draw a boundary for regional pain areas on a body chart. Patients must assign a severity score from 0 to 10 for each marked area, with 10 being the worst pain. The tool is recommended to be completed before treatment, then revisited on the seventh and thirteenth visits (after six and twelve treatments, respectively) to reproduce the scores and drawings for comparison over time.

Calculating the Pain Score and Consent: The total pain score is calculated by summing three components: the total number of painful locations, the total severity score, and a size rating for the pain area (1 point for a cross, up to 5 points for an entire region). Nick Hodgson also stressed the necessity of obtaining a signed and dated consent form from patients to allow the use of their information for case studies, research, or sharing outcomes, ensuring any identifying information is removed. They suggested three ways for the form to be filled out: self-completion, being coached by the practitioner, or delegating the task to a trained staff member.