Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM)Pain Registry Biobank

The Defense and Veterans Center for Integrative Pain Management (DVCIPM) established a clinical data registry and tissue biobank (pain registry/biobank) for the advancement of pain-related research. This Pain Registry Biobank will address the complexity of pain by utilizing the Pain Assessment Screening Tool & Outcomes Registry (PASTOR), a thorough biopsychosocial assessment that extends beyond a single-item pain rating scale. PASTOR is an assessment battery that includes several Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) scales developed by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and other important scales that span physical, psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of pain and pain-related treatments. As a uniform assessment system, PASTOR also mitigates a significant challenge in pain-related research, the lack of standardized, cross-study outcomes. Additionally, the richness of PASTOR data matched with biological samples allows future researchers to address significant research gaps and enhance health care for service members, veterans, and civilians.