Primary Care Clinicians in Pain Management

Michael J Brennan, MD

Medical Director
Ahlbin Centers for Rehabilitation Medicine
Bridgeport, Connecticut

There is a manifest need for a PCP-centered pain management model, based merely on simple arithmetic: there are an estimated ~50 million patients with chronic pain and only a relative handful of pain specialists. Collaborative multidisciplinary care is essential, as are educational programs designed to improve the knowledge and practice of clinicians who treat patients with pain in the primary care setting.

References

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Chen H, Lamer TJ, Rho RH, et al. Contemporary management of neuropathic pain for the primary care physician. Mayo Clin Proc. 2004;79(12):1533-45.

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