{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,18]],"date-time":"2026-05-18T13:16:09Z","timestamp":1779110169973,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":26,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"5","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,18]],"date-time":"2026-05-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1779062400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JPM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Traditional refills of intrathecal infusion pumps rely on manual palpation and the use of external templates, a method that can be challenging in patients with anatomical variations or a high body mass index. Ultrasound guidance has emerged as a precision-based alternative. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the ultrasound-guided technique versus the conventional template-based technique on patient satisfaction. Methods: A quasi-experimental before-and-after study was conducted on a cohort of 45 chronic pain patients. Immediate satisfaction with procedure duration (IPP-SQ), overall treatment efficacy (CRES-4), and pain interference via the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) were assessed. Results: The use of ultrasound was associated with significantly higher satisfaction regarding procedure duration, with a mean score of 5.00 (95% CI: 4.35\u20135.65) compared to 3.22 (95% CI: 2.70\u20133.75) with the traditional method (p &lt; 0.001). Overall satisfaction (CRES-4) also improved significantly (12.4 vs. 11.3; p = 0.001). Regarding patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), the mean pain intensity in the subsequent week was lower following the ultrasound technique (mean difference \u22120.48; p = 0.040). Technically, no first-attempt failures were recorded under ultrasound guidance in this sample, compared to a 20% re-attempt rate observed with the manual method. Conclusions: The transition from the traditional method to ultrasound-guided refill optimizes technical precision and substantially enhances the patient experience. By reducing pain and increasing satisfaction, ultrasound guidance proves to be a valuable resource for improving procedural precision, representing an advancement toward a more personalized medicine approach.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jpm16050270","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,18]],"date-time":"2026-05-18T12:36:40Z","timestamp":1779107800000},"page":"270","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Advancing Personalized Intrathecal Therapy: A Quasi-Experimental Study for the Evaluation of Patient Satisfaction and Pain in Ultrasound-Guided Versus Template-Guided Refill Techniques"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0003-6013-7674","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Beatriz","family":"Lechuga Carrasco","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, 18014 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Beatriz","family":"Piqueras-Sola","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, 18014 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7265-3519","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Nicol\u00e1s","family":"Cordero Tous","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, 18014 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4019-8555","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jonathan","family":"Cort\u00e9s-Mart\u00edn","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4650-2159","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Juan Carlos","family":"S\u00e1nchez-Garc\u00eda","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-2086-1222","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raquel","family":"Rodr\u00edguez-Blanque","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Granada, 18012 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5384-9919","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rafael","family":"G\u00e1lvez Mateos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Virgen de las Nieves University Hospital, 18014 Granada, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1976","DOI":"10.1097\/j.pain.0000000000001939","article-title":"The revised International Association for the Study of Pain definition of pain: Concepts, challenges, and compromises","volume":"161","author":"Raja","year":"2020","journal-title":"Pain"},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Goldberg, D.S., and McGee, S.J. 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