Pediatric Chronic Pain: Prevalence, economic impact, and its relevance to the current opioid epidemic
Issue 10, September 2017
Recognizing the Needs of Pain Patients in Substance Use Policy
Issue 9, July 2017
Pain as a 5th Vital Sign
Issue 8, January 2017
The Pain Assessment Screening Tool and Registry
Issue 7, November 2015
What is Biopsychosocial Pain Care? Why Should You Care?
Issue 6, July 2015
Never Only Opioids: The Imperative for Early Integration of Non-Pharmacological Approaches and Practitioners in the Treatment of Patients with Chronic Pain
Issue 5, Fall 2014
Opioid Treatment Agreements or “Contracts” with Chronic Pain
Issue 4, Spring 2014
Pain and Policy Studies Group Report Card, 2012
Issue 3, January 2014
Prescription Monitoring Programs: Considerations for Policymakers
Issue 2, October 2013
Impact of State Policy and Regulations on Those Living with Chronic Pain
Issue 1, Spring 2013
Policy Brief Balance:
Uniformity and Fairness: Effective Strategies for Law Enforcement for Investigating and Prosecuting the Diversion of Prescription Pain Medications While Protecting Appropriate Medical Practice
Original Issue, February 2009
Pathways to Prevention Workshop: The Role of Opioids in the Treatment of Chronic Pain
On September 29–30, 2014, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) convened a Pathways to Prevention Workshop: The Role of Opioids in the Treatment of Chronic Pain. The workshop addressed the long-term effectiveness of opioids, the safety and harms of opioids in patients with chronic pain, the effective of different opioid management strategics, and the effectiveness of risk mitigation strategies for opioid treatment. Myra Christopher, Kathleen M. Foley Chair for Pain and Palliative Care, presented the consumer perspective at the workshop.
Blog Post: A Call for Moral Leadership
The Institute of Medicine (IOM) report, Relieving Pain in America, documented the more than 100 million Americans (almost 1 in 3 and surely someone whom you know and love) suffers from chronic pain, at an economic cost of $6 billion and an incalculable psychological cost.
Blog Post: Chronic Pain – The Invisible Public Health Crisis
Richard Payne, MD, John B. Francis Chair at the Center, asks how do we bring the invisible suffering of so many to light and work to alleviate it. In this February 7, 2015, blog post, he calls for commitment to five big goals.
Blog Post: It is Time to Ditch Pain Scales
Western medicine is in large part based on objective evidence. If you can’t see, touch, taste or weigh it, it simply does not exist. Unfortunately, pain is subjective, with no “litmus test.” Each individual’s pain experience may vary depending on one’s genes, culture and/or world view, including religious beliefs.
Blog Post: Going for the Brass Ring
Patient-centered research can improve chronic pain care and address opioid abuse.
The following books are available online or at the local libraries:
A Voice of Pain
Seth Haney, a therapist with 6 children, describes the accident that left him with chronic pain and his frustrations with the healthcare system in seeking relief.
A Nation in Pain: Healing Our Biggest Health Problem
Syndicated health columnist Judy Foreman’s book, A Nation in Pain, provides a researched account of today’s chronic pain crisis and the reasons for it, and guides readers through scientific discoveries and advances in traditional and alternative remedies. The Center and Saint Luke’s Health System hosted Ms. Foreman for a lecture in Kansas City on June 3, 2014.
KCUR Up to Date Program
Steve Kraske gets to the bottom of why our society fails to fully treat nearly 100 million Americans who live with chronic pain.
NPR Weekend Saturday Interview
Scott Simon interviews Ms. Foreman about abuse of painkillers and the fear of abuse, which, she says, means that pain is going untreated.
Brief Interview
Ms. Foreman explains how she became interested in the issue and what she discovered in the process of writing the book.