Case 1. A.Z. is a 44-year-old female, new to the clinic. She has a history of low back pain. For the past 8 months the pain is getting worse, and is not relieved by acetaminophen.
Introduction to Chronic Persistent Pain
Approximately 100 million adults in the United States (U.S.) suffer from chronic persistent pain (CPP), more than the number affected by heart disease, diabetes, and cancer combined,1 at a cost of $560-635 billion annually.2 It is the number one cause for “years lived with disability.”3 Overall, the quality of pain management remains unacceptable for millions of U.S. patients with acute and chronic pain. Under recognition and under treatment of pain are of particular concern in primary care.4 …show more content…
Surprising, primary care clinicians are also not in favor of mandatory pain education.5 Family clinicians are, by training, well suited to provide pain management using the “whole person,” and “bio-psycho-social” models, handling co-morbidities, and coordination of care. They apply non-pharmaceutical, and pharmaceutical modalities, and know the patients and their family