Special Report: Managing RSD
Clinical guidelines keep treatment cost-effective
They also empower RSD/CRPS patients
Reflex sympathetic dystrophy syndrome (RSD) or chronic regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a complex chronic pain syndrome that recently became much easier for patients and their case managers to cope with, thanks to clinical practice guidelines published by the Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy Syndrome Association of America (RSDSA) in Haddonfield, NJ.
"The guidelines provide a basis for determining which care is essential care, which care is optional care, and which care is contraindicated," says Anthony F. Kirkpatrick, MD, PhD, associate professor of medicine at the University of South Florida in Tampa and editor of the RSD/CRPS clinical practice guidelines. "They minimize the need for patients to seek multiple second opinions and help focus the process of diagnosing and treating RSD in a cost-effective and appropriate manner. The guidelines also help both the patient and the case manager evaluate the quality of the care the patient is receiving."
Too often, Kirkpatrick notes, time and resources are wasted in the treatment of RSD patients. "The guidelines were written by a committee of 13 RSD specialists, all dedicated to rehabilitating RSD patients in the shortest possible time with the most appropriate resources," he says. "I deal with case managers and attorneys all the time. I see a lot of money and time wasted in the treatment of this condition. The guidelines help prevent that waste of time and money by presenting a logical, cost-effective approach to the treatment of RSD."
Kirkpatrick urges case managers to make copies of the guidelines available to their patients. "The guidelines are written in a manner that is easily understood by most patients," he notes. "They help patients provide informed consent for their own care and provide a strong basis for making treatment decisions."
Reading the guidelines helps patients understand their condition and therefore gain control of their pain, he adds. "We have received feedback from patients that confirms that reading the guidelines helps them make informed decisions about their care and gain control of their pain. That sense of control also helps them cope better with their pain — the pain is the same, but it doesn’t bother them as much."
The clinical practice guidelines are available on the RSDSA Web site at www.rsds.org.
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