Identifying cases of chronic pain using health administrative data: A validation study.

Background: Most prevalence estimates of chronic pain are derived from surveys and vary widely, both globally (2%-54%) and in Canada (6.5%-44%). Health administrative data are increasingly used for chronic disease surveillance, but their validity as a source to ascertain chronic pain cases is understudied.

Association of chronic pain with comorbidities and health care utilization: a retrospective cohort study using health administrative data.

Health administrative data provide a potentially robust information source regarding the substantial burden chronic pain exerts on individuals and the health care system. This study aimed to use health administrative data to estimate comorbidity prevalence and annual health care utilization associated with chronic pain in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Applying the validated Chronic Pain Algorithm to provincial Fee-for-Service Physician Claims File data (1999-2009) established the Chronic Pain (n = 184,580) and No Chronic Pain (n = 320,113) comparator groups.