Filling in the Gaps in Chronic Pain Management

Emil Chiauzzi, PhD

Vice President of Product Strategy
Inflexxion
Newton, Massachusetts

Patients are increasingly relying on the Web to obtain recommendations for chronic pain management. At times, patients may receive too much information, much of which is not built around evidence-based recommendations or best-practice suggestions for self-management. In an effort to consolidate the seemly endless amount of online patient-directed information and to engage patients in their own pain treatment programs, Inflexxion has developed the painACTION website. The goal of the Web portal is to create tailored resources for patients, including self-management approaches, calendars to track progress, and practical advice on such issues as managing emotions, medication safety, and employment challenges. Randomized controlled trials of individual modules for certain chronic pain conditions have revealed important benefits from the programs, including reduced depression, improved coping, and better use of social support. Here, Dr. Chiauzzi discusses the painACTION website and the need for clinicians to manage their patients’ use of the Web when seeking information on chronically painful disorders.

References

1. Chiauzzi E, Pujol LA, Wood M, et al. painACTION-back pain: a self-management website for people with chronic back pain. Pain Med. 2010;11:1044-1058.
2. Palermo TM, Wilson AC, Peters M, Lewandowski A, Somhegyi H. Randomized controlled trial of an Internet-delivered family cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention for children and adolescents with chronic pain. Pain. 2009;146(1-2):205-213.
3. Bodenheimer T, Lorig K, Holman H, Grumbach K. Patient self-management of chronic disease in primary care. JAMA. 2002;288:2469-2475.

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