Evidence mapPaperPMID 42221285Full record

ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2026

A Systematic Review of Pain Drawings for Perioperative Patient Management.

Leonard Knoedler, Michael Alfertshofer, Katya Remy, Merel H J Hazewinkel, William G Austen, Andrew L Weinstein, Lisa Gfrerer

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Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Leonard KnoedlerFrom the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Michael AlfertshoferDepartment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Katya RemyFrom the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Merel H J HazewinkelDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY.
William G AustenFrom the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Andrew L WeinsteinDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY.
Lisa GfrererDivision of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: Pain is a highly individual experience that can challenge effective patient-doctor communication. Patient drawings of pain (PDs) have been proposed as a tool to enhance communication and understanding. We aimed to evaluate the strengths and limitations of PDs for (1) screening and diagnosis of pain conditions, (2) prediction of surgical outcomes, and (3) postoperative pain monitoring in pediatric and adult surgical patients. Methods: We conducted a systematic literature search of PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science, and CENTRAL up to June 1, 2023. Studies assessing PDs in surgical populations were screened, and data on study design, patient population, and outcomes were extracted. Results: The search identified 10,815 articles, of which 26 met the inclusion criteria, encompassing 5977 patients. Six studies (23%) assessed PDs as screening or diagnostic tools; 4 of these (67%) reported PDs to be effective in identifying neuropathic pain. Nine studies (35%) examined PDs as predictors of postoperative outcomes, particularly after nerve decompression and spine surgery. Eleven studies (42%) evaluated PDs for postoperative follow-up, demonstrating their utility in tracking pain evolution over time. Conclusions: PDs represent a promising tool for preoperative screening and diagnosis of neuropathic pain, prediction of surgical response, and postoperative pain monitoring. However, heterogeneity in methodology highlights the need for standardized parameters and assessment criteria. Future prospective trials are warranted to establish consistent evaluation frameworks and to further define the clinical utility of PDs.

Identifiers

PMID42221285
PMCPMC13218769

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.