The Army Pain Management Task Force was charged with recommending pain management strategies for Army Medical Command that would optimize quality of life for patients living with acute and chronic pain. Among their recommendations was the development of the Pain Assessment Screening Tool and Outcomes Registry (PASTOR). In order to develop this tool, the Pain Management Task Force leveraged the NIH's investment in building the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS(®)). The two foci of PASTOR are to enhance the clinical encounter and provide data for comprehensive evaluations of treatment effectiveness. The potential of such information for the future of clinical management is described.
Keywords: chronic pain; comparative effectiveness research; outcomes registry; pain management; patient-reported outcomes.