Supporting Research in Pain Management for Veterans and Military Service Members
Supporting Research in Pain Management for Veterans and Military Service Members

Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) Special Supplement (May 2018)

Journal of General Internal Medicine (JGIM) Special Supplement (May 2018) features state-of-the-art updates on non-pharmacological approaches to chronic musculoskeletal pain management.

U.S. Army Command Sgt. Maj. John W. Troxell, Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, hosts a physical training session with Deputy Secretary of Defense Patrick M. Shanahan and service-members from across the Joint Force to kick off the inaugural Department of Defense Readiness and Resilience Workshop at Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., April 17, 2018. The workshop features speakers and cover topics to optimize human performance through the body, mind, and spirit. (DoD Photo by U.S. Army Sgt. James K. McCann)

A recent special supplement to JGIM, published May 2018, offers featured editorials, perspectives, reviews, and reports on original research in the field of pain management. One of the three directors of PMC/PMC3, Robert D. Kerns, PhD, Professor of Psychiatry, of Neurology and of Psychology at Yale School of Medicine, is a featured editor of the supplement, and co-authors an editorial entitled, “Making Integrated Multimodal Pain Care a Reality: A Path Forward.”

Also featured, an editorial co-authored by retired US Army Lieutenant General Eric Schoomaker, M.D., Ph.D., entitled “For the Relief of Suffering.” Dr. Schoomaker will be the plenary speaker at the upcoming PMC Steering Committee face-to-face meeting to be held in Bethesda, MD Sept 17-18, 2018.

Also featured, an editorial by retired general Eric Schoomaker, et al., entitled “For the Relief of Suffering.” Dr. Schoomaker will be the plenary speaker at the upcoming PMC Steering Committee face-to-face meeting to be held in Bethesda, MD Sept 17-18, 2018.

In addition, the supplement features written work by PMC members, Will Becker, MD, Lynn DeBar, PhD, and Ben Kligler, MD, among others.

Highlights from the JGIM Special Supplement Include:

Making Integrated Multimodal Pain Care a Reality: A Path Forward

Authors: Robert D. Kerns, Erin E. Krebs, David Atkins

“Since 2000, over five million veterans receiving care in VA were diagnosed with chronic musculoskeletal pain.* VA was an early leader in developing a comprehensive national pain management strategy** and then an initiative that significantly reduced high-risk opioid prescribing (i.e., Opioid Safety Initiative). Moreover, VA has provided chiropractic care for more than 10 years and has more recently expanded CIH offerings such as acupuncture, yoga, and meditation….”

*Goulet JL, Kerns RD, Bair M, et al. The Musculoskeletal Diagnosis Cohort: Examining pain and pain care among veterans. Pain 2016; 157: 1696–1703.

**Department of Veterans Affairs. VHA National Pain Management Strategy. Accessed from https://www.va.gov/PAINMANAGEMENT/VHA_Pain_Management_Strategy.asp on December 10, 2017.

 For the Relief of Suffering

Authors: Eric B. Schoomaker, Chester C. BuckenmaierIII

In this editorial piece, the authors address the complexity of the opioid crisis and the cooperative efforts of the Departments of Defense and Veterans Affairs to recognize the issues and bring together a comprehensive campaign to provide alternatives to narcotics for pain management.

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