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
Forging Strong Partnerships with Patient Advisors Enhances the Impact of Pain Research
Engaging people with lived experiences of pain enhances pain care research by identifying research questions most important and relevant to those experiencing chronic pain.
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.
Guidance for Study Design and Proposals
A selection of publications, tools, presentations, and recommendations for developing strong proposals and adaptive studies, study implementation, and disseminating information.
From Our Work Groups
Featured Publications
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)