Healthcare Systems and Pain Management, including Developing World and Low Resource Settings

The second part of sensory testing includes the assessment of sensory function via pinpricks, von-Frey-Filaments, pressure algometers and tuning forks. The relevance in clinical and scientific use will be discussed.

A brief introductory comprising 3x5min talks will be conducted first. The workshop includes 4 stations. The aim is to provide solutions and strategies to frequent problems which may occur in the process of sensory testing. Per station 15-20 participants could be accommodated, adding to a total of 60-80 participants for the workshop.

1. Participants will be introduced to different methods of thermal sensory testing, including the assessment of thermal detection and pain thresholds as well as alternatives to the gold-standard.
2. The second part of sensory testing includes the assessment of sensory function via pinpricks, von-Frey-Filaments, pressure algometers and tuning forks. The relevance in clinical and scientific use will be discussed.
3. The aim of the third station is to provide a platform, which promotes scientific exchange. The faculty will provide challenging cases as well as engage participants in discussions on how to prevent pitfalls in QST assessment and interpretation.
4. The application of bedside tools may prevent many problems, the conventional QST protocol may include. Still, some limitations do apply, as acquisition of parameters differs. Therefore, this station intends to present two different bedside-QST-batteries which provide parameters suitable for a standardized sensory testing and stratification according to QST clusters.

The use of bedside tools may prevent many problems that the traditional QST protocol may include. Still, some limitations do apply, as acquisition of parameters differs. Therefore, this station intends to present two different bedside-QST-batteries which provide parameters suitable for a standardized sensory testing and stratification according to QST clusters.

Participants will be introduced to different methods of thermal sensory testing, including the assessment of thermal detection and pain thresholds as well as alternatives to the gold-standard.

The aim of the third station is to provide a platform, which promotes scientific exchange. The faculty will provide challenging cases as well as engage participants in discussions on how to prevent pitfalls in QST assessment and interpretation.

Participants will be introduced to different methods of thermal sensory testing, including the assessment of thermal detection and pain thresholds as well as alternatives to the gold-standard.

The aim of the third station is to provide a platform, which promotes scientific exchange. The faculty will provide challenging cases as well as engage participants in discussions on how to prevent pitfalls in QST assessment and interpretation.

Immense curiosity in quantitative sensory testing (QST) in the past two decades in the developed countries leads to its comprehensive development with the expectation to be a more precise tool for the clinical and research purposes on pain management. To make QST more useful and comparable, one should get reliable QST normative and patient data which have been successfully collected under standardized QST according to DFNS protocol. Establishment of standardized QST in developing countries is challenging due to lack of knowledge, standardized equipment, and experience. The application of well-developed bedside-QST-batteries for clinical use may be more practicable, less cost and less time-consuming while providing acceptable data of QST parameters compared to standardized QST and for stratification of QST clusters.

The second part of sensory testing includes the assessment of sensory function via pinpricks, von-Frey-Filaments, pressure algometers and tuning forks. The relevance in clinical and scientific use will be discussed.

The use of bedside tools may prevent many problems that the traditional QST protocol may include. Still, some limitations do apply, as acquisition of parameters differs. Therefore, this station intends to present two different bedside-QST-batteries which provide parameters suitable for a standardized sensory testing and stratification according to QST clusters.