• Frank JW, Carey E, Nolan C, Hale A, Nugent S, Krebs EE. Association Between Opioid Dose Reduction Against Patients' Wishes and Change in Pain Severity. Journal of general internal medicine. 2020 Nov 3.
• Solar C, Halat AM, MacLean RR, Rajeevan H, Williams DA, Krein SL, Heapy AA, Bair MJ, Kerns RD, Higgins DM. Predictors of engagement in an internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy program for veterans with chronic low back pain. Translational behavioral medicine. 2020 Oct 24.
• Carson JW, Carson KM, Olsen M, Sanders L, Westbrook K, Keefe FJ, Porter LS. Yoga Practice Predicts Improvements in Day-to-Day Pain in Women With Metastatic Breast Cancer. Journal of pain and symptom management. 2020 Oct 14.
• McClendon J, Essien UR, Youk A, Ibrahim SA, Vina E, Kwoh CK, Hausmann LRM. Cumulative Disadvantage and Disparities in Depression and Pain among Veterans with Osteoarthritis: The Role of Perceived Discrimination. Arthritis care & research. 2020 Oct 7.
• Murphy JL, Cordova MJ, Dedert EA. Cognitive behavioral therapy for chronic pain in veterans: Evidence for clinical effectiveness in a model program. Psychological Services. 2020 Sep 28.

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• Low-Value Diagnostic Testing for Back Pain, Sinusitis, Headache, and Syncope Is Common and Varies Across VA Medical Centers
  This study sought to determine the frequency and degree of variation in low-value diagnostic testing for four common conditions across 127 VAMCs. Findings showed that low-value diagnostic testing for four conditions was common; it affected 5-21% of Veterans, varied 2-to-5 fold across VAMCs, and was significantly correlated at the VAMC level. Applying sensitive criteria, the overall and VAMC-level ...
  
  Date: September 22, 2020
• VA Patients Have Fewer Potentially Avoidable Hospitalizations Post-Chemotherapy than Medicare Patients
  The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released a new quality measure to reduce potentially avoidable hospital admissions among patients receiving outpatient chemotherapy. In this study, investigators used this CMS measure to compare the quality of care received by chemotherapy patients treated through traditional Fee-for-Service Medicare versus VA, using a cohort of dually-enrolled ...
  
  Date: July 15, 2020
• Veterans Reveal Positive Aspects of Routine VA Pain Screening
  Using data from a study that evaluated a strategy to improve the use of the “5th Vital Sign” of pain in primary care, investigators identified 36 Veterans from five primary care clinics and three VA healthcare systems who were interviewed about pain screening. Generally, Veterans believed that routine pain screening is positive. Findings revealed five themes that summarize Veterans’ experience and...
  
  Date: March 6, 2020
• Integrated Pain Team Programs Improve Outcomes for Chronic Pain and May Reduce Reliance on High-Risk Opioid Therapy
  This study examined changes in self-reported chronic pain-, opioid-, and treatment-related outcomes among Veterans with chronic pain following the implementation of a primary care-based biopsychosocial Integrated Pain Team (IPT) model within the San Francisco VA Health Care System. Findings showed that Veterans with chronic pain who engaged in the IPT program reported improvement in several outcom...
  
  Date: February 25, 2020
• Increases in Opioid Dosing of 20% or Greater were Not Associated with Improvements in Pain among Veterans
  This study examined the influence of opioid dose escalation on pain scores recorded in the VA electronic medical record among patients on chronic opioid therapy for chronic non-cancer pain. Findings showed that increases in opioid dose of 20% or greater were not associated with improvements in pain scores. In the follow-up period, dose escalators had higher average morphine milligram equivalents (...
  
  Date: January 7, 2020

» View more Publication Briefs

» View more Studies

• Examining Pain and Pain Care in the VA || In Progress

  ...help VA provide safe and effective pain management for all Veterans....Inprogress » Dec16 » Examining Pain and Pain Care in the VA Health Services...Treatment of Pain among Veterans » Table of Contents Examining Pain and Pain Care in

• FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

  ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...Spring16 » FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids Health Services Research &...Commentary Chronification of Pain and the Science of Pain Management Rollin M. Gallagher

• FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

  ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...Spring16 » FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids Health Services Research &...Commentary Meeting the Challenge of Chronic Pain as a Public Health Problem Erin E. Krebs

• FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

  ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...Spring16 » FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids Health Services Research &...for Veterans with Chronic Low Back Pain: The CAMEO Trial Matthew J. Bair, MD

• FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids

  ...importance of pain research in VHA has never been higher. Defining pain as a public...Spring16 » FORUM, Spring 2016: Chronic pain, opioids Health Services Research &...Commentary Chronification of Pain and the Science of Pain Management by Rollin M.

» View more Publications

» View more Cyberseminars

Videos

• Using Service Connected Disability Hearings as a Gateway to Pain Management 01/08/18
• Evaluating Integrated Pain Treatment 01/02/18

Podcasts

• Painful Conversations: Pain Management SCAN-ECHO Improves Provider Conversations with Patients about Pain Care 12/20/2018
• Pain Management and Opioid Safety 05/04/2018
• Clinical Dashboard Elements to Improve Chronic Pain Care 07/19/2017

Other Resources

• Learn more about the HSR&D Center of Innovation on Pain Research, Informatics, Multi-morbidities, and Education (PRIME) in West Haven, CT.
• Visit the pain topic page at the VA Office of Research & Development website to learn more about additional pain research in VA.
• Learn more about the NIH-DoD-VA Pain Management Collaboratory.