Pain is a single word with a thousand different meanings, as the sixth annual Summit on Balanced Pain Management made clear. So if policymakers want to tackle America’s pain problem, they should begin by embracing individualized, patient-centered, care.
What does that look like? Panelists and speakers at the day-long policy event in Washington, DC weighed in.
Treating pain without opioids has become possible for many patients through novel drugs approved by a regulatory process called 505(b)(2). Now, access to these treatments is in jeopardy.
Victory over pain is the greatest gift an anesthesiologist like me can offer his patients. I discovered that firsthand when I switched from general surgery to anesthesiology 20 years ago.
When doctors like myself have the freedom to prescribe effective, FDA-approved treatments to their patients, everyone wins. But deciding the right type, dose and duration of pain medications can be challenging.