This rise in prescribing of prescription opioids in the last 2 decades of the 20th century occurred at a time during which medical professionals were urged to resort to prescription opioids to manage untreated and chronic noncancer pain.
If physicians have a genuine interest in acting with beneficence and nonmaleficence, they should recognize that their prescribing habits have significant consequences for their patients.
Increasing evidence supports the notion that an individual’s specific response to pain or pain treatments may be affected by particular gene polymorphisms.
An interview with Penney Cowan, founder and chief executive officer of the American Chronic Pain Association, where she discusses the ACPA’s publication aimed at helping healthcare practitioners improve care of patients with chronic pain.
An opioid supply for seven or fewer days might be sufficient for most patients seen in primary care settings for acute pain who appear to need opioid analgesics.
A panel of experts addressed several challenges associated with the implementation of the 2016 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Guideline for Prescribing Opioids for Chronic Pain.
Daily use of a high-frequency transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (hfTENS) device may reduce pain and improve function in patients with chronic low back pain.
A work group appointed by the Veterans Health Administration recommends the use of 2 scales with 8 items as core outcome measures to assess pain intensity and interference in studies examining chronic musculoskeletal pain.
