Top Five Things You Need To Consider in Pain Management

If you’re a nurse, you’re probably familiar with the Joint Commission’s standards for pain management. In addition to ensuring the quality of care, these standards have put physicians and hospitals at risk of being sued. For pain management St Augustine FL, nurses and physicians work collaboratively to treat patients, reduce pain, and improve function. However, you shouldn’t dismiss a patient based on PDMP information alone.

Clinically meaningful improvements in pain and function are not sustained

Although pain reduction rates greater than 30% are clinically meaningful, they are not always sustainable and may be inadequate to alleviate symptoms. The authors of the current study report that the effectiveness of SPR is inconsistent, with varying levels of success. The authors also acknowledge that SPR has received funding from other companies. These conflicts of interest are disclosed in the study. 

The success rates in published treatment trials were relatively high, with 80% of participants reporting significant improvements in pain and function at three and twelve months. However, there was a major limitation in the study design. Participants’ responses were not consistent, which could have impacted the results. In addition, a cross-sectional survey design is not always appropriate for longitudinal assessments of a consistent population. The current study uses a cross-sectional survey, which does not account for the characteristics of the population over time.

Multimodality treatments reduce pain and improve function

Pain management professionals use a variety of non-pharmacologic approaches to managing musculoskeletal pain. It includes manual therapies and exercises as well as psychological interventions. All of these treatments are designed to restore function and reduce psychosocial stressors. Military service members with polytrauma often benefit from multimodal pain management treatments. These treatments are used alongside pharmacological approaches, such as opioids. Some workgroups produced a special supplement to the Journal of General Internal Medicine.

In addition to using different forms of therapy, multimodality treatment focuses on understanding the underlying causes of pain. Pain is often complicated and interconnected, with many factors influencing its intensity. The pain sufferer can obtain the most effective relief by using several methods. 

Integrated pain management improves patient safety

Integrated pain management programs are primary care programs that include psychological care, physical rehabilitation, and pharmacotherapy review. In addition to the primary care component, integrated pain management programs incorporate case management and care coordination processes. In addition, the research highlights patient and caregiver safety and quality outcomes. The study also addresses the population subgroups of people with disabilities, psychological co-morbidities, suicidal behavior, and nociplasticity.

Depending on the patient’s injury and goals, the treatment may vary. An integrated pain management team comprises several experts who work together to offer a customized plan. Pain management plans may include medial branch block injections, epidural injections, and kyphoplasty. Pain management programs also focus on patient safety and are designed to improve patient satisfaction and safety. But there are important considerations for patients.

PDMP information should not be used to dismiss patients

Although PDMPs are an effective tool for improving the prescribing of opioids, they should not be used as an excuse to dismiss a patient in pain management. The PDMP may contain false information that discourages legitimate prescribing of analgesics for patients with chronic pain. Such a patient is likely not an addiction patient and may simply be seeking relief from pain, not the support of their addiction.

Prescription drug monitoring programs can yield enormous data on the types of opioids prescribed and the number of overdoses and poisonings. These data may also show changes in prescribing patterns and practices. The data may even point to areas where opioid misuse is prevalent and targeted interventions could improve these efforts. These findings are not surprising. The benefits of PDMP data are significant.

PDMP information may put clinicians at risk of legal action

Despite the promise of a more secure electronic medical record, PDMP has been met with criticism. Although the PDMP is valuable for improving patient safety, it also introduces additional time pressure for physicians. Physicians must also spend more time identifying potential abusers and recommending substance abuse treatment. In addition to these challenges, PDMP has also been difficult to encourage physicians to use the database. One way to motivate physicians to use the PDMP database is to make it more convenient and user-friendly. The convenience of a real-time data feed, easy password recovery, and easy navigation are just a few features that should be available in a user-friendly interface.

While the PDMP has the potential to reduce the misuse of prescription opioids, it has a counterintuitive effect – it may push patients into the illicit drug market. It can detect forged prescriptions and stolen prescription pads and report the information to professional licensing boards. It may also reveal subtle changes in prescribing habits and spatial information of a small geographical area, negatively impacting service rapport.