Research can help find the optimal pathway to limit the negative impacts of pain.
Research & Researchers
Pain is often a complex problem in that everyone experiences it differently. In western medicine, we have very little pragmatic, clinical research on options for managing it effectively, nonpharmacological or otherwise. Additionally, the opioid epidemic has shown that pharmacological approaches may have only minimal benefit for the management of pain and the risk of substantial harms.
Pragmatic Clinical Trials
Research in Real-World Settings
Work Groups
Data Expertise & Best Practices
Guidance for Study Design and Proposals
Guidance for Study Design & Proposals A selection of publications, tools, and recommendations for developing strong proposals and adaptive studies Publications Presentations More Information Northwestern
The Role of Health Informatics in Pain Management
Health informatics brings information to the fingertips of clinician-researchers and practicing clinicians to help with evidence-based care recommendations and improve patient outcomes.
From Our Work Groups
Featured Publications
Clinical Policy Recommendations from the VHA State-of-the-Art Conference
Participants in the SOTA conference identified nine non-pharmacological therapies with sufficient evidence to be implemented across the VHA system as part of pain care.
Non-Pharmacological Approaches to Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain Management
Treatments such as mindfulness meditation, biofeedback, and hypnosis, among others, have been determined to have at least promising evidence of effectiveness for pain management. (Photo: Joseph Eddins)
Considerations of Trial Design and Conduct in Behavioral Interventions
For some nonpharmacological approaches for chronic pain management there is emerging evidence of their effectiveness in relatively large scale trials. (photo: Sgt Justin Boling)
Noninvasive Nonpharmacological Treatment for Chronic Pain: A Systematic Review
The US Dept. of Health & Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has issued a report on noninvasive nonpharmacological treatments for selected chronic pain conditions.
JAMA Medical News & Perspectives
Robert Kerns, PhD, spoke with JAMA about the creation of the Pain Management Collaboratory and its goals for this multi-agency initiative.
Effectiveness Research on Mind and Body
National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health presents “Strengthening Collaborations with the U.S. Department of Defense and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.” (photo: EJ Hersom)
