Who Owns the Pain? Debating Addiction Medicine's Role in Pain Management

Friday, April 5, 2024

10:30 AM – 11:45 AM

Presenter(s)

JC

Julie Childers, MD, FASAM

Professor of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Slides
Janet J. Ho, MD, MPH

Assistant Professor
UCSF/ SFGH, California
HR

Heather Richards, MD

Medical Director, Center for Recovery Medicine
Center for Inclusion Health, Allegheny Health Network, Pennsylvania

Non-presenting author(s)

MW

Melissa B. Weimer, DO, MCR, DFASAM

Associate Professor of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine, Connecticut
Caitlin Couper, MD

Physician
Center for Recovery Medicine, Center for Inclusion Health, AHN, Pennsylvania

Chronic pain is more common among individuals with substance use disorder than in the general population, and shares common neuropsychological pathways with SUDs. Access to multidisciplinary and compassionate pain treatment is unreliable; thus, addiction medicine specialists are often asked to manage acute and chronic pain in individuals with SUDs. This case-based session will include a panel with addiction medicine clinicians from four different institutions around the US, describing their approach to pain in individuals they are caring for.

Learning Objectives:

Learners will be able to:

Describe the importance of addressing pain in individuals with substance use disorders.
Decide on a plan to approach chronic and acute pain management in their addiction medicine practice.
Co-manage pain with primary care, palliative care, and chronic pain clinicians.