Chronic Pain in Children: A Look at the Referral Process to a Pediatric Pain Clinic

Table 1

Demographic data of the study population (CHLA: Children’s Hospital Los Angeles; HMO: Health Maintenance Organization).

		%
Speaking English
Yes	71	95%	0.001
No	4	5%
Age	range (6–19)
Sex
M	28	29%	0.002
F	47	71%
Ethnicity:
Hispanic	22	29%	0.001
Caucasians	53	71%
Duration of symptoms (months)	(range 3–199)
School attendance:
Missing classes-homeschooled	39	32%
Practicing sports:
No for pain	35	47%
Distance from CHLA (miles)
Referral
CHLA	34	45%	0.253
Community physicians	41	55%
Insurance
Private	21	28%	0.186
Government	31	41%
HMO	23	31%
# of specialists consulted prior to CHLA visit	range (1–8)