Pain is one of the most common reasons for seeking medical advice — nearly half of Americans seek care or treatment for persistent pain at some point during their lives. Unfortunately pain management is not straightforward and treatment gaps persists. A high percentage of patients continue to experience pain on a daily or monthly basis that negatively impacts their functional and emotional status.

Key elements to improving processes and outcomes in pain management include prompt recognition and treatment of pain, improved pain treatment patterns, monitoring treatment response, reassessing and adjusting pain management strategies, effective management of pain in patients with current, past, or potential for substance abuse, and risk management.

Learning Objectives:

• Describe the underlying pathophysiology of chronic pain
• Identify and treat chronic pain in a more timely manner
• Perform pain assessment at initiation and throughout treatment
• Establish specific functional goals in collaboration with the patient
• Distinguish legitimate need from drug-seeking behavior
• Explain the advantages and disadvantages of individual and combination therapies
• Aggressively treat pain, including prescribing opioids when appropriate
• Anticipate and manage breakthrough pain