ABSTRACT
Chronic pain affects at least 116 million adults in the USA and exacts a tremendous cost in suffering and lost productivity.
While health systems offer specialized pain services, the primary care setting is where most patients seek and receive care
for pain. Primary care-based treatment of chronic pain by interdisciplinary teams (including behavioral specialists, nurse
case managers, physical therapists, and pharmacists) is one of the most effective approaches for improving outcomes and managing
costs. To ensure robust integration of such services into sustainable health-care programs, evaluations must be conducted
by researchers well versed in the methodologies of clinical trials, mixed methods and implementation research, bioinformatics,
health services, and cost-effectiveness. Recent national health policy changes, in addition to the increasing recognition
of the high prevalence and cost of chronic pain conditions, present a unique opportunity to shift the care paradigm for patients
with chronic pain.
While health systems offer specialized pain services, the primary care setting is where most patients seek and receive care
for pain. Primary care-based treatment of chronic pain by interdisciplinary teams (including behavioral specialists, nurse
case managers, physical therapists, and pharmacists) is one of the most effective approaches for improving outcomes and managing
costs. To ensure robust integration of such services into sustainable health-care programs, evaluations must be conducted
by researchers well versed in the methodologies of clinical trials, mixed methods and implementation research, bioinformatics,
health services, and cost-effectiveness. Recent national health policy changes, in addition to the increasing recognition
of the high prevalence and cost of chronic pain conditions, present a unique opportunity to shift the care paradigm for patients
with chronic pain.
- Content Type Journal Article
- Category Practice and Public Health Policies
- Pages 1-8
- DOI 10.1007/s13142-012-0163-2
- Authors
- Lynn L DeBar, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, OR, USA
- Lindsay Kindler, School of Nursing, University of Portland, Portland, OR, USA
- Francis J Keefe, Duke Pain Prevention and Treatment Research Program, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA
- Carla A Green, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, OR, USA
- David H Smith, Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research, Portland, OR, USA
- Richard A Deyo, Department of Family Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
- Katharine Ames, Kaiser Health Plan, Northwest, Portland, OR, USA
- Adrianne Feldstein, Permanente Medical Group, Northwest, Portland, OR, USA
- Journal Translational Behavioral Medicine
- Online ISSN 1613-9860
- Print ISSN 1869-6716