Managing chronic pain in primary care

At least 100 million adults in the United States are afflicted with chronic pain. Nurse practitioners and other providers are often challenged by the complexity of chronic pain management. This article discusses systematic strategies to facilitate safe, efficient, satisfactory, and quality care of patients with chronic pain in primary care. Strategies include: implementing preclinical processes (including assessing current and previous use of pain medications); identifying mechanisms of underlying pain; clearly documenting an individualized plan of care with goals and objectives; utilizing medication agreements, informed consents, and comprehensive forms that include pain assessments and complete medical history; encouraging nonpharmacologic measures; utilizing follow-up forms specific to chronic pain to document the six As: analgesis, affect, activities, adjuncts, adverse reactions, and aberrant behaviors; implementing behavioral tools to evaluate opioid risk; using clinical practice guidelines and evidence-based practices; staying up to date with state and federal regulations regarding prescribing controlled substances; accessing patients' drug monitoring records; ensuring self-management and support; and employing interdisciplinary care.

READ FULL ARTICLE >>