PAIN MANAGEMENT

To advocate for improved access to equitable and patient-centered pain care for all patient populations; further,

To advocate that pharmacists actively participate in the development and implementation of multimodal pain management stewardship programs, policies, protocols, and research; further,

To support pharmacist participation and collaboration in interprofessional healthcare teams for selecting appropriate drug therapy regimens, educating patients and caregivers, monitoring patients, and continually assessing outcomes of pain management therapy; further,

To advocate that pharmacists lead efforts to prevent inappropriate use of pain therapies, including engaging in strategies to detect and address patterns of medication use that can increase the risk of serious adverse events; further,

To foster the development of educational resources on multimodal pain therapy, substance use disorder, and prevention of adverse effects; further,

To encourage and support the education of the pharmacy workforce and other healthcare providers regarding the principles of multimodal pain management and substance use disorder, including approaches to reduce stigma, improve access to care, and improve general health and well-being.

Rationale

Currently there are over 100 million adults in the United States affected by acute and chronic pain. ASHP emphasizes the importance of individualized patient-centered care in the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic pain. A multimodal and interprofessional team approach should be implemented to target outcomes that focus on improvement in function and quality of life. Pain management requires ongoing assessment of the care plan, and pharmacists are well poised to fill a key role in appropriate treatment and optimization of pain with multimodal treatment strategies. Pain therapies, in particular, have the potential for serious adverse events. ASHP is cognizant of the delicate balance between undertreatment of pain and barriers that can occur with the implementation of strategies that restrict or limit access to treatment.

ASHP advocates increased awareness of the risks of pain therapies, and encourages pharmacists to take a lead role in implementing harm reduction strategies through individual clinician efforts (e.g., prescriber and patient education on medication risk, ensuring access to naloxone when applicable) and system-based approaches (e.g., use of information technology systems to monitor for trends that suggest unsafe prescribing or patient use). ASHP also supports the inclusion of pharmacists as key members of interprofessional care teams that specialize in pain management and stewardship. Finally, ASHP advocates for the inclusion of pharmacists in pain research as pharmacists are well poised to fill a key role in research initiatives across the spectrum of pain management.