PainSAFE™ to aid in Pain Management and Care

Medical professionals and caregivers working with chronic pain patients, and chronic pain sufferers have a new tool. The American Pain Foundation (APF) today announced the launch of PainSAFE™ (Pain Safety and Access for Everyone), a new educational initiative designed for people with pain and health care professionals. The mission of PainSAFE is to provide education surrounding the appropriate and safe use of pain management therapies for people affected by pain and health care professionals, thereby, helping to reduce risk and improve access to quality pain care.

PainSAFE is a web-based program that provides up-to-date information, programming and practical resources and tools to help educate consumers about pain treatment options and their use.  PainSAFE also provides health care providers with a central hub of evidence-based information and practice-based tools to focus on safety and reduce the risks associated with various pain treatments.

The content of PainSAFE will continue to evolve and adapt as scientific and policy research uncovers new findings in the area of safe pain treatment and real-world impact of recommended approaches. Materials are available at www.painsafe.org.

APF recognizes that patient safety is one of the nation's most pressing health care challenges, directly affecting people living with a variety of acute and chronic pain conditions. Although pain management therapies can provide significant benefits by reducing pain and suffering, improving physical function and restoring one‟s quality of life, they can also result in unintended or undesirable effects, from minor to life-threatening.

Knowledge of how to safely utilize treatments among providers and their patients will result in better treatment choices, safer use of these therapies and, in turn, improve access to pain care," said pain management expert Lynn Webster, MD, FACPM, FASAM and advisor for PainSAFE in a written release. “The reality is that no single treatment option for pain management is without risk, and that also includes the decision not to treat the pain. But these risks can be managed by educating and empowering consumers and health care professionals alike about the responsibility each person has in the safe use of treatments to limit risk while getting the most out of a pain care program.

Experts agree that pain is best managed using a combination of treatment options. These options may include prescription or over-the-counter (OTC) medication, counseling, physical therapy, complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), injections, implantable pain therapies or surgery. "This 'multi-modality' approach takes into consideration that every person's pain is unique, and that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to pain,” writes Micke Brown, BSN, RN, Director of Communications for APF and pain management nurse.

PainSAFE is a collaborative effort created with input from expert advisors, people living with pain and allied organizations. This multi-year project intends to address all treatment options. The first modules focus on pain treatment with opioids and implantable pain therapies; modules addressing OTC pain treatments (acetaminophen and NSAIDS) and CAM are in development. PainSAFE also focuses on improving understanding of the risks and benefits of individual treatment programs and what this means to providers and patients in terms of opportunities to improve safety.

Pain is complex and frequently misunderstood. The issues involved in understanding pain and pain treatment and management are riddled with myths and misperceptions, which make the task of informing and educating people about pain and its management challenging.  There are hundreds of pain syndromes, and pain is often a chief symptom of most chronic conditions, including cancer, diabetes, arthritis, fibromyalgia and a host of neurological disorders. For millions of Americans, pain persists, interfering with everyday activities and enjoyment of life.  People living with chronic pain will often avoid certain movements or activities, fearful they will cause more injury or to avoid the anxiety of anticipated pain.  

Pain is a common challenge.  Consider that: 

• Most Americans (80%) will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives.

• As we age, arthritis hinders the normally smooth sliding motion of our joints and connective tissues, resulting in stiffness and discomfort. Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in people over the age of 55.

• Pain associated with pediatric immunizations is a significant source of anxiety for children receiving the immunizations, and evidence suggests that the way children and parents cope can set the stage for future pain responses.

• Damage to or dysfunction of the central nervous system, due to stroke, multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, brain or spinal cord injuries or Parkinson's disease, also stimulates pain pathways.

• An estimated 30 to 50% of patients undergoing active treatment for cancer and 70% of those with advanced stages of the disease experience significant levels of pain and may be reluctant to discuss their pain with their doctors.

And, yet, misconceptions regarding pain and pain treatment and management persist.  For example, common misconceptions include: 

• Pain is “all in your head.” Although this is partially true because we need our brains for the perception of pain, that does not mean pain is imaginary when the source of pain is not well understood.  Pain is all too real to the person who lives with it day in and out.

• Pain is just something one has to live with—an inevitable part of a disease or condition. The fact is most pain can berelieved with proper pain management.

• Pain is a natural part of growing older.  While pain is more common as we age because conditions that cause pain (e.g., arthritis, degenerative joint diseases, cancer, shingles, osteoporosis) are more frequent in older adults, it should not be something people have to struggle with.

• The best judge of pain is the physician or nurse. Studies have shown that there is little correlation between what a physician or nurse might “guess” about someone’s actual pain. The person with pain is the authority on the existence and severity of his/her pain. The self-report is the most reliable indicator.

•  Seeking medical care for pain is a sign of weakness. Pain carries a stigma, and many people hesitate talking about their pain and how it affects their daily life.  Patients also do not want to be perceived as being a “bad” patient.

• Use of strong pain medication leads to addiction. Many people living with pain and even some healthcare providers falsely believe opioids (strong pain medicines) are universally addictive. Studies have shown that the risk of addiction is small when these medicines are properly prescribed and taken as directed. As with any medication, there are risks, but these risks can and should be managed.

Pain is a serious and costly public health issue. It affects more Americans than diabetes, heart disease and cancer combined, and is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Even though pain is one of the most common reasons patients consult a healthcare provider, it is often inadequately assessed and treated, resulting in needless suffering and poor patient outcomes.  The result is devastating to the afflicted, and to society. 

Untreated or poorly managed pain can compromise every aspect of an individual's life, including a person’s physical and mental health, social and intimate relations, ability to sleep and perform everyday tasks, work productivity and financial well being.  Chronic pain is not only emotionally and physically debilitating for patients, it also places a tremendous burden on families and caregivers, and contributes to excessive healthcare costs. The economic toll of chronic pain exceeds $100 billion each year in the United States alone. As the 75 million Baby Boomers move toward retirement, the epidemic of untreated or undertreated pain is expected to continue.

For more detailed information regarding, pain, pain management and treatment,  the scope of pain management challenges, and the impact of improper or inadequate solutions, please visit  PainSAFE™, or the related American Pain Foundation's website.