Overview

After years of neglect, issues of pain assessment and management have captured the attention of both health care professionals and the public. Factors that prompted such attention include the high prevalence of pain, continuing evidence that pain is under-treated and a growing awareness of the adverse consequences of inadequately managed pain.

Pain is common – the most common reason individuals seek health care. Chronic pain is the most common cause of long-term disability and almost one third of all Americans will experience severe chronic pain at some point in their lives. Improved understanding of pain and increasingly effective medications should enable effective pain management for most people with acute or chronic pain. Yet recent studies suggest that many types of pain are under-treated.

This course provides an update on the current understanding of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions, identifies the primary goals of chronic pain management, and presents a comprehensive approach to patient care that incorporates physiologic treatment, stress management, behavior modification, and promotion of patient self-efficacy.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this course, you should be able to:

• Identify three primary goals of chronic pain management

• Relate the psychosocial aspects of pain presentation to the overall plan of care

• Select appropriate pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions in the treatment of pain

Target Audience

This CE activity is designed for nurse practitioners as well as other healthcare providers who are involved in the diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic pain.

Learner Participation to Earn Credit

• Review the course material

• Complete the online post-test with a score of 70% or higher

• Complete online program evaluation

Faculty Disclosures

Gregory B. Holm, PhD, ARNP-C [BioSketch]
Assistant Professor, University of South Florida Colleges of Medicine & Nursing, Tampa, Florida; Practitioner, Lakeside Occupational Medical Centers, Pennsylvania
Disclosure: Speaker's Bureau: Pfizer.

Frances M. Sahebzamani, PhD, ARNP [BioSketch]
Assistant Professor, Assistant Director of Research, Department of Family Medicine; Co-Director, USF Prediabetes Treatment and Research Center, University of South Florida, Tampa, Florida
Disclosure: Advisory Board: Eli Lilly, Merck; Presenter: Pfizer, AstraZeneca.

Accreditation Statement

This program has been granted 1.0 contact hour of continuing education (which includes 0.5 hours of pharmacology) by the American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, course number 0405216.

Accreditation Period

This program was initially published on July 20, 2004, and is eligible for credit through July 20, 2006.

Course Certificate Fees

This course certificate is FREE to the holders of the CEonCD™ CD-ROM or the companion issue of CE-TODAY™ for Nurse Practitioners.* All others will be assessed a $10.00 USD processing fee per contact hour.

*Valid only during the free offer period listed on the CD-ROM.