The Department of Health and Human Services has issued a plan to lessen the prevalence and encumbrance of chronic pain in the United States.
The report addresses necessary improvements in the realms of education, prevention, and overall treatment. For example, medical students receive an astoundingly low level of education about pain and prescriber precautions, so curriculums are slowly being implemented to fix this deficit in knowledge.
The Department is also issuing recommendations on prevention strategies, such as workplace regulations to avoid injury. Of course, one of the biggest issues facing the chronic pain community is the misuse of opioids, which is being addressed via the new CDC guidelines for prescribing opioids.
These rules are meant to encourage physicians to think critically about each patient’s case before pulling out their prescription pad.
Read more here: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/861626#vp_2