About 100 million Americans live with chronic pain and, for many, treatment is insufficient, according to a new report by an independent panel convened by the National Institutes of Health.
The NIH panel called for evidence-based, multidisciplinary approaches to help doctors treat pain better by using safe methods that incorporate patients' perspectives and goals.
"We learned that sufficient clinical research doesn't exist to show physicians how best to treat chronic pain in adults, many of whom suffer from multiple health problems," said Christopher Callahan, M.D., a panel member and director of the Indiana University Center for Aging Research and Regenstrief Institute.
While opioid drugs are frequently prescribed for chronic pain, the panel noted the absence of pain assessment and treatment guidelines. The panel also reviewed reports that suggest insufficient data exists on drug characteristics, dosing strategies and tapering options.
"Are opioids the appropriate treatment? And, if so, at what dose and for how long? Could other, less dangerous treatments work for some people" Dr. Callahan said.
“The panel found that, in spite of what many clinicians believe, there is no evidence that pain narcotics — with their risks of dependency, addiction, and death — are an effective long-term pain treatment. More research is needed to guide effective care for chronic, often debilitating, pain.”
He added that many doctors believe pain should be considered a fifth vital sign, but treatment standards are far less well defined as those for body temperature, pulse, respiration rate, and blood pressure.
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